


In Another Reality

by GrapeGodPerson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi, Slow Burn, but nah we just have a nonbinary oc instead, if i waited a bit i probably would have used her instead, its basically just for like 1 flashback, minor adashi, minor lotor/oc, they basically take the place of Ven'tar since i started writing this before she was introduced
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-07-11 17:40:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15977231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrapeGodPerson/pseuds/GrapeGodPerson
Summary: In another time, in another reality, would we ever be together? Would you have stayed with me, or have chosen me at all? Everything was still there, as it is here, but it's different. So would that change us? Would you love me?AU where Keith and Acxa are twins. Texas Kogane doesnt survive that alien gun blast(R.I.P.). Krolia takes them to the BoM base and they grow up helping stop Zarkon. The other half is Lotor backstory, and ending up with the Blades as well. Slow burn for both Klance and Lotura, but I really just wanted to write this.Just so everyone knows, this will be LONG, and I won't have a consistent schedule since school gets in the way. I'll try to add when I can, but I hope I can make a schedule for this.P.S. Lotor does make an Altean colony in this, but because I think the show was kind of dumb for writing the character the way they did, he does not kill any of them. He is a good boy, and he deserved better.





	1. Protect the ones you love

**Author's Note:**

> Lmao I tried as hard as I can to avoid having to use Texas's name, considering he doesn't actually have one, and i wasn't gonna call him Texas. Also, Keith does have a Galra form, and Acxa does have a human form. Both of the, when they get older, usually stick to a sort of mix. I'll probably describe it later on, but eh. Maybe I'll draw it or something, but I ain't the best artist.

Krolia watched as the ship started taking off. She was powerless to stop it. The Galra were going to get the blue lion. Earth was going to become the empire’s new target.

The ship rose higher and higher into the sky, reaching up to the clouds when a sudden burst of light exploded from the wings, destroying the ship. Krolia looked down to where the ships had first landed. In the middle of the clearing, was a man straining to keep himself up, then faltering and going limp. Krolia raced down to him, falling to her knees as she got close. She called his name as she shook him, attempting to wake the man up, increasingly becoming louder and more violent. Tears started streaming down her face as she finally accepted reality. The man she loved was gone.

Several days had passed. Krolia sat on the bed she and her love use to share. She had spent these days thinking. In a world that didn't even know of her existence, what could she possibly do? The Earth was in danger, and she had no way of protecting it, unless…

The very thought made her feel sick, but then again, what choice did she have? ‘If the Galra found the blue lion once, they'll find it again. I need to report back to the blades and take down the empire from the inside, its it's the only way to keep this planet safe.’

She was snapped out of her thoughts when one of the babies in her arms began to whine. She placed the one still sleeping in the crib and began to tend to the one waking from his nap. As she held a bottle to his mouth, she began to cry once more, noting that it had become a regular thing for her. No matter how much it pained her, she knew the truth. ‘I can't keep my children safe if I stay.’

She couldn't waste any more time. Once the child had fallen asleep again, Krolia placed him carefully in the crib with his sister. She took another look at them before packing all her necessities. She quickly carried everything to the front door. Once everything was ready, she began to make her way to the abandoned scout ship still left in the valley. It sat there alone, with no signs of tampering. She hesitated for a moment before boarding.

After piloting it closer to the house, she carried all her things into the back. She tried not thinking about what she was doing. It would only slow her down, and she had no time for that. She had a mission, and any more hesitation would make her more stressed then she already was. 

Once all her belongings were on the ship, she finally looked back at the house. A tear fell from her face as she knew this would be the last time she ever saw this place. Once on the ship, she set her mind on the task at hand once more. She started the ship, flying it higher and higher, leaving the Earth, and her new home, behind. She didn't look back.

As she entered the coordinates for the Blade of Marmora, she finally let herself relax a bit. Her stress had been eating away at her, but for this moment, she felt nothing. Her eyes closed, and she listened to the soft hum of the ship. For the first time since the scouts and arrived on Earth, she let her mind wander to anything but the mission. She let herself think of him. The once who saved her. The one who cared for her. The one who loved her. The one she couldn't save.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could have done more. I wish I could have done anything to protect you.” Her voice was soft, but strained to keep it under control. “I can't do anything for the Earth if I stay. At least I'll be able to help in the Blade. Put Earth under some sort of protection, and keep everyone safe from the Galra. And hopefully, someday we'll be able to return. Since I couldn't protect you, I promise, my new mission for as long as I live will be to protect Acxa and Keith.” She spoke confidently but quietly, careful as to not wake the sleeping twins in the back of the ship.


	2. His once common life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a planet very different from the Galra, Lotor has learned to live the common life.True, most of his work involved diplomacy, but he can go home to a small house and just relax, but his idea of relaxing involves a lot more books than the average person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I did say this next chapter was about Lotor. My precious grape boi. I really dont like where the show took him, but that's why I'm here! I shall redeem my favorite character! Also, at the rate I'm writing this, I could possibly have a good schedule, but idk.
> 
> P.S. its gonna take a LONG time before the shipping aspect starts, but well, I have a lot of ideas.

-Thousands of years in the past- 

The planet was thriving. The citizens were happy, which made him even happier. After being put in charge of this planet for several years, Lotor saw this as his new home. Well, he saw it as his only home, since he never considered the Galra as family. Still though, being Galra was something that took a long time to accept, but never something he was proud of. But here, he didn't even have to think about it, because this planet, these people, saw him as an ally, saw him as a friend, saw him as family. And Lotor felt the same way, because for once, he had the family he always wanted dreamt about. The one he had always read about from the countless stories he had collected over the years. The type of family he knew Zarkon could never be.

And he was fine with that.

If he could remove his relation to the emperor in any way, he would. Cause one thing is sure, that monster is not his father, no matter what blood runs through his veins.

Lotor made his way through the crowds, greeting the children and bowing to the elders. He had come to know every one of them, and they all knew him.

The story of the Galran prince who was supposed to conquer the planet and enslave everyone, but instead pet the planet be, spread widely across the colorful world. With Lotor as an ally, the planet prospered, with more resources and peace than ever. Lotor had become somewhat of a hero, but he didn't see it that way.

Lotor was always disgusted by how Zarkon ruled the empire. Destroying planets, and all the life and culture on it. Every planet touched by the Galra slowly dies, that is, until Lotor was given one. He was the only Galra who hadn't killed the planet he conquered, but then again, he wasn't Galra. 

Lotor knew his heritage, he knew he was Galra, or at least half, but he knew the truth. In his mind, heart, and soul, he was an Altean. Nothing could change that. Not the empire, not his governess Dayak, and certainly not Zarkon. He decided who he wanted to be, and he was going to live his way. And right now, he wanted nothing more than to relax after a hard day of forming alliances with nearby planets. 

He opened the door to his semi-small house. Unfit for a prince, but it was everything he wanted, since on this planet, he wasn't a prince. He wanted to be treated like a person, not a ruler, and so far, he liked this cozy common life. He didn't have many possessions aside from book, but that was all he needed.

He scanned his vast collection, searching for something interesting to study, but as always, he was drawn to the several Altean texts he had acquired over the years. He picked up a large book with familiar Altean text on the front. Out of all the books in his collection, this was always the one that intrigued him the most, Altean Alchemy and the City of Oriande. The book was white, with intricate silver patterns. It was also incredibly heavy, holding all the history on the ancient magic.

Just as every night before, Lotor took a seat at his vanity table, and turned to the page he had left off on during the previous night. He had already read and reread every book he had about Altea, learning the history of the now gone planet. He learned the language, the culture, the fighting style and weapons, the allies, the trade routes, the geography and cities, everything. Since he couldn't go there himself, this was the most he could do.

He looked over the page, continuing his favorite story, the story of Oriande, the birthplace of Altean alchemy. The words on the pages flowed perfectly, and he found himself smiling at his favorite line, “The wise stand back from the fire. Fools are burned on the pyre. The mystic becomes one with the flame. The embers and he are the same.”

His smile became fond as the page was hit with a light blue glow. He looked up to the mirror in front of him, and reached up to touch the glowing marks under his eyes. The defining trait of an Altean, of which he had always hidden from everyone. True, everyone knew he was half breed, but very few knew he was Altean. And no one knew how he felt about the Alteans or Galra.

As he continued reading, he felt his eyes grow tired. Usually, he could stay up for hours, but today was particularly busy, and he couldn't see himself staying up for much longer. But being the stubborn person he is, he stayed put, falling asleep at the desk a few minutes later.

And just like almost every other night, his dreams consisted of memories of his past.

As a child, these dreams use to startle him awake, keeping him up all night, but as he got older, Lotor became accustomed to reliving past tortures and pains. Smaller pains like his lessons from Dayak never really phased him any more, but on the rare occasions that he dreamt of his encounters with Zarkon, he always awoke tired.

And it just happened to be a rare occasion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any spelling mistakes, can you tell me. I down really care much if there are mistakes in the notes, but I want the story to look it's best. Also, I think it's pretty obvious I'm not a writer. Lol, hope this is good.


	3. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploring more of Lotor's life, except this time with the planet's name(Benedcir) and someone from his past. Yeah, he had a romantic partner once, it didnt go well. Yall remember what he told Allura in Oriande? Yeah, it's basically that. He's still not over it, and probably never will be. Sorry, I got to make him suffer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to create an entire planet and character?!?!? I wasnt planning to create any oc's but I had to. I guess you can just read it, but I'll just say it here that their name is Qyiag, and I LOVE THEM!! 
> 
> P.s dont love them, since we all know what happened to the planet Lotor talked about in Oriande. I already made the mistake of loving them, save yourself.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson
> 
> P.S.:This was written before Ven'tar was introduced and I honestly don't want to change it. I took me too long to come up with Qyiag's design and literally anything of Benedcir so I'm not about to throw all of that away. This is called "Another Reality" so it still fits lol.

Sunlight entered the house through the window. Lotor groaned as he tried to cover his face from the light. His eyes opened slowly, trying to adjust as he got up. 

He stretched his arms and back, feeling tired, as expected. He really needed to stop sleeping like that. 

He made his way to the window, clumsily opening it t hear the self rustling of the early town folk.

The prince smiled as he watched the elderly walk together, as children ran around trying to tag each other. Everyone had someone.

He shifted his gaze at to door where he heard soft tapping and a familiar voice.

“Lotor! Are you still asleep?”

The ambiguous voice sounded optimistic as always. Lotor rolled his eyes and went to open the door.

He- oh whoa, you look terrible. Did you fall asleep at your desk again, or was it another dream?”

“Both unfortunately.” He noticed the other give him a sympathetic look before switching back to a smile.

“Well, then let's get your mind off of it. Wanna go to the waterfall?”

Lotor immediately lit up at the offer. “That would be wonderful.” He grabbed their hand as they made their way to the dense forest together.

Just like he thought before, everyone has someone. 

Lotor was never someone who trusted others easily, even after he had been on planet Benedcir for so long. Though he like the Beneds, he couldn't say he trusted them all that much. That was until he met Qyiag.

Qyiag was unlike anyone he had ever met before. They were strong and adventurous, and always listened to him ramble on about things he’s studied. They were beautiful, both inside and out.

Lotor would be lying if he said he wasn't drawn to Qyiag’s looks. How could one not be. Their beautiful turquoise skin that contrasted against bright pink feathers. Deep blue scales found in patches all around their body. Everything from their talon-like claws to shining green eyes was mesmerizing.

He had always found the Bened people interesting, with their scaly skin and feathered heads. They were very different from the purple, fuzzy-eared Garla, and they were much more colorful. 

He had seen Beneds with all kinds of colors; orange, red, green, etc. He had seen many of the same colors, but none like Qyiag. Pink and turquoise were already rare, and yet, they had both. Everything about they was perfect. 

“Hey, are you paying attention?”

Lotor stared at them. He hadn't been paying attention and had no idea what they were even talking about.

He began to mumble, looking away from them. “Oh, um, sorry, I wasn't.” He cleared his throat, looking back at the somewhat annoyed but smug alien. “What was it that you were saying?”

“I was saying that I found a kwiilap in my house trying to steal one of my capes.”

“I told you to stop leaving your window open.”

“I gets hot in my room.” They grumbled.

“I know, but is it truly worth having yo either trick or convince me into going with you to get your things back from the forest?” Lotor smirked as he saw a deep blue blush appear on the other’s cheeks.

Qyiag finally sighed in defeat. “How did you know?”

He let out a soft chuckle. “This is the 17th time I've gone with you find your things and…” An offended scoff interrupted him.

“Yeah right! This is only the 12th time.” 

“I beg to differ. I have helped you find your capes twice, your jewel belts 6 times, your skirts 3 times, your arm bands 4 times, and your weird pants twice as well.”

“No, you only helped me find my jewel belts 3 times and my arm bands twice!” 

“No, I helped you 6 times with the belts. We found one in the lake, one in a greeshberry bush, 2 in a kwiilap’s burrow, one on the forest path, and the last one in Plarked’s yard.” He continued. “As for your arm bands, all 4 of them were caught in nejrak vines.”

Qyiag went quiet, slowly letting out a deep groan. “How do you remember all of this?”

“Magic.” He responded smugly, waving his arms as if casting a spell. They broke out in laughter together.  
______

They continued walking in a comforting silence. They could no longer hear the sounds of the village. It was quiet aside from the gentle breeze passing through the tall trees. Complete peace, something the prince had never been able to experience in Galra territory. This feeling of freedom, of no worries, of being able to spend your day wandering without a care in the world. Though something was always off when he felt like this, and he knew what it was. His life was great, in fact, it couldn't be better, but not everyone had a great life. Most were suffering because of the Galra, but for the moment, he could do nothing about it, well, almost nothing.

Zarkon had tasked him into turning Benedcir into a mining planet, but he had other plans. With the help of the natives, he was able to start a mining area as a disguise for his true intentions, and though it took some time, he had already started alliances with several planets in this galaxy. Each of them willing to join a small but growing group of rebels against the Galra.

Lotor was hoping that he would someday be able to have an army large enough to take down the empire, but so far, his freedom fighters would probably only be able to save a planet or two before being completely dismantled. Without weapons or good ships, they wouldn't be able to last, but one day the universe will have a beacon of hope inspiring it to fight back.

His attention returned to the forest when the howl of a kwiilap was heard. Qyiag shot him an adventurous look full of excitement and mischief. 

Lotor dawned a similar face as they began running towards the sound.

This was the life he had become accustomed to. Adventure, Adrenaline. But all of it good. All of it together. For once, someone cared about him, and he cared back. It was what he always wanted. He wanted it to be like this forever, but like everything else in Lotor’s life, it went horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, another chapter. I actually have like a bunch of chapters ready, but I will release them in patterns or something. Please comment!!! 
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	4. Team Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Garrison trio really need to bond, so I guess sneaking out is bonding now. And so is kidnapping a guy who just came from space. Hey, bonding is bonding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just a rehash of the first episode, or at least the beginning, just excluding Keith. Dont worry tho, hes in the next chapter, I think. Had to rewatch the first episode to get the dialogue right. Anyways, I'm not gonna completely go over all the events, since it's mostly the same, just a few changes at the start. It will get really different when team Voltron meet team half-Galra. 
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

-Present day-

The 3 were bathed in the bright red words on the screen.

“Simulation failed,” the robotic voice stated.

Lance slouched in his seat. He had heard those 2 words more times than he can count, and was starting to get tired of it.

As he turned to look at the others, he could tell they didn't like any more than him.

The simulation door opened. “Roll out donkeys!”

Another day. Another failure. Another scolding from Iverson. It was always the same, and Lance couldn't stand it anymore.

“I don't know Lance. We shouldn't be doing this.” Hunk nervously stood behind him, speaking quietly hoping they wouldn't get caught.”

“You heard Iverson, we need to bond more, so let's grab Pidge and hit the town.”

The boys began sneaking around the halls, avoiding the guards. It was a short walk to Pidge’s room, but as they neared, her door opened and light poured into the hallway. She stuck her head out, most likely checking for security. 

In the panic, Lance and Hunk hid. Pidge didn't seem to notice them as she swiftly made her way out of the room and into the corridor, carrying some sort of equipment.

The two boys looked at each other, nodding in agreement to follow their smaller teammate.

She was a lot faster than either of them would have expected, though she wasn't the best at watching her surroundings. Lance and Hunk weren't the shakiest of kids, considering they've been caught 4 times out of 7. Hopefully they'll be able to make this a successful run.  
______

Pidge's arm strained after she ran with her homemade computers and trackers. She couldn't risk being caught by the Garrison and kicked out again. Besides, the roof was relaxing, or at least it would have been, if she was alone.

“Stop touching my equipment!”

God, why did she have to get paired with people as nosy as her? 

“so what are these things for?” Lance asked, pointing to all the machines Pidge was running. She hesitated.

‘Can I tell them? Can I trust them enough? What if they tell on me?’ She thought about this for a seconds before disregarding it all. ‘If they told, the Garrison would find out they snuck out too.’

She decided to trust then. They were a team after all. “I've been been scanning the system, and picking up alien radio chatter.”

Hunk immediately began to panic. “Whoa what, aliens!?”

“Okay, so you're insane. Got it” Lance scoffed. Typical of him, though most people would probably react the same way.

“I'm serious, they keep repeating one word…” She picked up a notebook beside her. It was filled with crude sketches of some sort of robot gladiator. “... Voltron. And tonight it's going crazier than I have ever heard it.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “How crazy?”

Suddenly, the school alarm went off and a voice on the speakers was heard. “Attention students, this is not a drill. We are on lock down. Security situation zulu niner. I repeat, all students are to remain in barracks until further notice.”

“What's going on?” Hunk asked, stand up in concern when he spots something bright in the sky. “Is that a meteor? A very big meteor.”

Pidge and Lance looked to where he was pointing. Pidge quickly grabbed a pair of binoculars. “It’s a ship!”

Lance pulled the binoculars to him eyes, with Pidge still holding onto them. “Holy crow. I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours.”

She let go. “No, it's one of theirs.” A slight smile appeared on her face.

Hunk, on the other hand, was freaking out more than ever. “Wait, so there really are aliens out there?” 

They watched as the ship crashed near the outside of the school. A new plan appeared in Pidge's mind. “We gotta go see that ship!”

She ran off, with Lance following suit. “Hunk, come on.”

Reluctantly, he joined them.

They quickly snuck out of the school, getting closer to the crash site. They positioned themselves a good distance away from it. 

The Garrison had already set up tents and security around the ship. Thankfully, Pidge had brought her equipment with her, so she was able to hack into the cameras set up within the tent. “Look.”

They turned to the screen. A man was strapped to a table with three other men in hazmat suits surrounding him. He was spouting stuff about aliens and destruction.

Lance quickly recognized the man. “That's Shiro! The pilot of the Kerberos mission. That guy's my hero.”

Hunk squinted at the screen. “Guess he's not dead in space after all.”

‘The kerberos mission! Dad and Matt. Shiro was with them. If he's alive, then they must be as well.’ This was her strongest lead to her family, only one problem. “Where's the rest of the crew?”

Shiro continued to shout about aliens, when something caught their attention. Voltron.

Pidge's mind raced for an answer. Her only two leads were merging. Shiro was her only hope. And he was right there. It didn't matter if she was caught now, if she could get in contact with him, nothing else mattered.

And with that, the next few minutes were a blur. They had found themselves with Lance driving a stolen Garrison car, Pidge and Hunk in the back holding an unconscious Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi...
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Okay bye.
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	5. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor's first meeting with the twins goes just like everyone thought it would, unfortunately no one had a camera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOTOR IS GOOD WITH KIDS AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE MY MIND.
> 
> I really dont have much to say about this chapter other than it's cute af.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

-18 years prior-

The ship was quiet. His mission was successful, as always. He had been rescuing and recruiting allies for centuries. And though they can't join the Blade, he might as well help the Freedom Fighters. 

The quiet was interrupted by the sound of Kolivan's voice on the communicator. “Lotor, come in. Are you there?”

“I'm here.”

“Good. Are you done with your mission?”

“It is complete. Why, do I Have another one?” Truthfully he was hoping there wasn't. After 3 in one day, he might fall asleep here in his seat.

“No, I want you to return to the base as soon a possible.”

This peaked Lotor's interest. “Well, this is unusual. May I ask what the occasion is?”

“You'll see. Krolia has returned with a surprise.”

‘Krolia?’ Lotor hadn't seen her since she left for a mission roughly a year ago. She hadn't reported in, but her route showed she was somewhere in the Milky Way. ‘What could she possibly bring from there?’

“Alright, I'll be there soon.”  
______

Kolivan turned off the communicator. Lotor qas in for one hell of a surprise.

“Did you have to contact everyone?” Krolia stood behind him, holding the twins in her arms.

He turned to face her, a soft smile on his face as he pet Acxa's head. “Oh come on, this will be fun. Everyone is going to freak out, especially Lotor.”

She smiled back. “Oh I know he will. The guy always had a soft spot for children. And stop petting her, she isn't an animal.”

He chuckled softly, pulling away from Acxa. Meanwhile, Keith awoke with a yawn. His Argentine eyes opened wide as he stared at the two purple aliens in front of him. He looked to Krolia, his face blank. He shifted his focus to Kolivan, becoming curious. He raised his tiny hand to the man, grabbing onto his long braided hair.

“Ow, ah Krolia help!” Kolivan struggled to get the child’s hand away from him.

Krolia laughed, not bothering to help. “Looks like he's a natura- ah!”

She cried out as Acxa silently woke and began pulling her own hair. 

“Scratch that, they're both naturals.”  
______

When Lotor finally made it back to the base, he noticed several other ships in the hanger. ‘Krolia must have brought back a big surprise.’

He began running to the main hall. After a year, he couldn't wait to see her. She was family, as was everyone else in the Blade.

After she hadn't returned, he feared something may have happened to her, but just as she has proved time and time again, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And this time was no different.

As he neared the main hall, he could hear many familiar voices. The doors opened to reveal several Blades grouped together in a circle. 

“Look who finally showed up.” Kolivan alerted everyone to the man standing at the doorway.

Lotor did nothing to hide his confusion. ‘What the quiznak is the surprise? Did Krolia bring home a baby or something?’

Krolia carefully pushed her way to the front, and she could only wish someone recorded the Galran prince's face. He froze in complete shock, but his surprise was quickly replaced by joy and excitement. He was wrong. She didn't bring home a baby, she brought two.

There was soft laughter erupting all around the room as the rest of the Blades watched Lotor run to her, with a huge silly grin. His now visible Altean marks glowing brightly.

It was no secret that he loved children. In fact, practically everyone who knew him was aware of this. No one knew why exactly, but no one was going to ask. The last time they asked him something about his past, likes, or behaviorisms, the conversation quickly turned dark and uncomfortable. 

Besides, Lotor was almost never this childish or happy.

He was playing with the twins, tickling them and making baby noises. He looked up to Krolia who was suppressing her laughter at the 10,000 year old prince. He asked with big, pleading eyes.”May I hold them?”

Even if Krolia wanted to say no, it was practically impossible. No matter how tough you are , no one could deny Lotor in this state. Seeing the usually stoic prince of the biggest, most violent empire in the universe behave so softly could break anyone’s walls. And Krolia was no exception. Though, she didn't mind handing the twins to him. He was incredibly careful with kids, probably more careful than her.

Lotor takes them into his arms, his smile becoming fond before looking back at Krolia. “So, what are their name's?”

She placed a soft hand on the child on the left. “This is Acxa.” She moved her hand to the child on the right. “And this is Keith.”

“Keith? That's… interesting.”

“Their father was from a planet called Earth. I named her, and he names him.” Lotor noticed the solemn face she had when she spoke of him. He guessed something must have happened to him.

He didn't press on the matter, instead bringing the attention back to the children. “So, are you going to raise them here? They look like they could be great Blades.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, these two will single handedly take down the empire.” The prince rolled his eyes at the comment. “But yes, I probably will have them train to become Blades,” she sighed. “I really don't want them to get involved with the war, but I want them to be able to protect themselves and each other in the event that I am not there for them.”

“Don't worry, they'll become great warriors, and they'll have everyone here to protect them as well.” Kolivan spoke, resting a hand on Krolia’s shoulder. “But something tells me they'll probably be protecting us someday.”

She smiled to him, feeling somewhat relaxed when Lotor started yelling. They looked to him, and started laughing. Acxa and Keith were pulling his hair.

“Oh yeah, they're hair pullers.” Krolia stated bluntly.

He glared at her. “Thanks for the warning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, dont have much to say. Comment and subscribe, hit that like button and why am I sounding like a youtuber.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	6. Pick a lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura is stuck with quite the dilemma, 2 paladins, one lion. But perhaps it will work out. After all, the universe needed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm finally done with exposition. Starting now, the plot will only move forward. It will be practiacally the same until later, and with some small changes, but that's only for a little while. 
> 
> And, btw, I'm not gonna recap literally everything, I'm way to lazy for that. I'm gonna skip parts I really dont wanna write, but it will go practically the same as in the show. 
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

-Present day-

This couldn't be happening. There's no way, they must have been dreaming. There's no way a giant blue lion took them through space, into a wormhole, and landed on a planet where they met aliens.

There was also no way that they had to find 3 other lions to unlock a 4th inside the alien castle they now found themselves in. 

‘There's definitely no way,’ Lance thought to himself, ‘that I won't marry this alien.’

He stared endlessly at Allura. Her beautiful long hair, and most incredible eyes he had ever seen. She was perfect in every way, and she was going to be his. 

“The black lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times. Someone who's men will follow without hesitation. That is why Shiro, you will pilot the black lion.” Allura spoke, moving a holographic lion to Shiro.

“The green lion has an inquisitive personality, and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the green lion.” A lion moved to Pidge.

“The yellow lion is caring and kind. It's pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up, and hold them together.” A lion moved to Hunk, who was starting to panic a bit.

“Now, the blue lion is… interesting.”

“Why, because it takes the most handsome slash best pilot of the bunch?” Lance flashed a flirtatious smile to the princess.

She looked clearly annoyed before composing herself once more. “No, the issue is that I’m the pilot of the blue lion. So now we have 2 pilots for blue, and none for red.” 

The room grew silent. Shiro cleared his throat to get Allura's attention. “Maybe one of you can pilot red?”

“I cannot. I have tried in the past and it was no use, but perhaps Lance will be able to.” Everyone looked to him, his expression turning worrisome. “Lance, listen. The red lion is temperamental, and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, and also more unstable. It’s pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instinct than skill alone.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I don't know if you'll be able to pilot it, and I've never seen a paladin capable to flying 2 lions, but we need to try.”

His worry became stronger. “What if… what if I can't do it? What if I fail and…” Shiro cut him off, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“You can do this Lance. We all believe in you.” He smiled softly to him, and his worry disappeared. 

‘Man, he really is a good leader.’

“Well then,” Allura spoke again, “I've located the yellow and green lions, and black is here in the castle. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the red lion's coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the castle. After 10,000 years, it might need some work.” 

Coran stepped in. “Don’t worry, we'll find it soon, they don't call me the Coran-ic for nothing.” He stood confidentially. “That's because it sounds like mechanic. Coran-ic, mechanic.” He twirled his long orange mustache. “ It doesn't sound exactly like it, it's similar.” 

The holographic lions suddenly roared, flying together in formation into the center of the room. 

“Once all the lions are united, we will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known. The defender of the universe.” Allura said, as the lions came together, forming a large robot. 

The group stared at it in awe, all except Hunk, who was still worrying. “Wait, okay, we're going to be in there, flying lions, got that part, how do I turn into the legs, also is this going to be a long trip? Because I have to pee. Do you people pee?” They all ignored him.

“We don't have much time.” Shiro spoke to everyone. “Pidge and I will go after the green lion.” He turned to Lance. “You take Hunk and get the yellow one using blue.” He looked to the princess. “Allura, you stay here. If you locate that red lion, tell Lance so he can go get it after they get yellow.” 

She nodded. “In the meantime, I'll get this castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed.”

“I'll ready a pod, and input the coordinates so you can reach the green lion.” Coran added. 

The got ready to go. Finally, they all had their missions. New responsibilities as the new paladins of Voltron. They would be the universe's last standing hope. Those who everyone will look to for freedom, but first, they needed those lions. And they were gonna get them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mhh, this came a lot sooner than I thought it would, i just wanted to post again. I'm already way ahead this this fic, I just gotta fix up the next chapters, but I'll be posting soon again, probably. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it so far, I'm really happy that its coming along.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	7. You've got this Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is not liking space so far, especially all the pressure of being a defender of the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short ass chapter. There are a few more chapters that are fairly short, but I just need them to set up for later. I'll probably add another chapter later today, so yeah.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

Hunk and lance finally returned from their little “adventure” to get the yellow lion. They were disheveled from the battle on what should have been a peaceful planet.

“I guess 10,000 years changes a thing or two.” Hunk humored tiredly. 

“At least we got the lion.” Lance rubbed he wore neck and sighed as he come to a realization. “God I hope the red lion is on a nice and welcoming planet.”

The mechanical doors opened to the main room where they joined the others.

Coran immediately looked up at the two. “Oh good, you're here. We've located the red lion. Now there's some good news and some bad news.” His smile widened. “The good news is that the red lion is close.” His smile turned worryful. “The bad news is that it's located on that Galra ship orbiting Arus.”

Lance groaned. “Of course it is.” Hunk gave him a pat on the back. This wasn't his day.

“And remember,” Allura spoke, “we've been asleep for 10,000 years, so we don't know how advanced that Galra have gotten.”

This really wasn't his day.

“And if you fail, the Galra will have the most powerful weapon in the entire universe. They will be completely unstoppable.”

Well shit, thanks for the pressure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say other than poor Lance. Good thing he's gonna have a cute boyfriend later.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	8. Voltron has returned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor, alongside his generals in the Blade hear the news of Voltron's return while on a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some things that I'm gonna explain here: 1) In the BoM, Lotor is in charge of a rescue and recruitment division(RRD) that will rescue planets and recruit them for the Freedom Fighters. Within this group is Lotor, Acxa, Keith, Ezor, Zethrid, and Narti. They also have Kova and Cosmo.
> 
> 2)They're on this team because, unlike the rest of the Blades, they can't be spies in the empire since they're half breeds.
> 
> 3) Keith and Acxa have a semi form, they can switch between human, half, and full Galra, but Krolia doesn't want them within the empire.
> 
> 4) They most often stay in their half form.
> 
> I'll explain more if anyone has questions, just comment.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

“Another day, another successful mission!” Ezor leaned back in her seat. After spending 2 and a half hours infiltrating a top secret Galra case for information, they all needed a break.

Ezor decided to play a disk Krolia brought with her, alongside everything she had gotten from her time on Earth. No one in the Blade saw the usefulness in the disks, since they didn't hold any important information. In fact, they had no information of anything at all. They weren't even realistic.

When Krolia had first shown the Blade one of these disks, no one seemed to really understand anything about it. Krolia had to explain this part of Earth culture. The idea of a story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images, and soon enough, the entire base was familiar with movies.

Most of the Blades didn't care much about the movies, but in the Rescue and Recruitment Division(RRD for short), it was quite common to watch them, especially after missions.

“What movie did you put on?” Keith asked, giving a treat to Cosmo. 

“You'll see.” She giggled.

The ship was quiet. Lotor was skimming through the information they had got. Zethrid and Narti played with Kova, and Keith continued to feed Cosmo. Acxa and Ezor waited for the movie to start, and with that, familiar music began to play in the ship. Immediately, everyone knew exactly what she had put on. 

“Hell yeah, Guardians of the Galaxy!” Zethrid quickly made her way to Ezor's side to watch.

Lotor looked up briefly, chuckling softly. This was everyone's favorite. Incredibly inaccurate, but funny, though they all felt like they were missing a lot of the jokes relating to Earth. He focused his attention back to the data, though every so often turning back to the movie.

It was about half an hour later when something caught Lotor's attention. “Stop the movie!”

Everyone turned to him as Ezor paused the film. “What did you find?”

“The Galra found the blue lion.” There was silence, all of them in shock. Worry spread over everyone's faces, except Lotor as he kept reading. “But they did not capture it.”

Keith stood up. “What? If they found it, why wouldn't they just take it?” The confusion on his face was clear. They all were thinking the same thing.

“It's because… someone was piloting it!?” He couldn't believe what he was reading. “And this other report says they spotted the yellow lion alongside blue on a mining colony.”

“No way, is Voltron returning?” There was a slight hint of joy in Acxa's voice as she spoke. The fear and worry from earlier was gone, replaced with hope.

“It already has. Voltron has taken down a Galra fleet on Arus.” The ship erupted into cheers. Finally, after all this time, the defenders of the universe had returned.

Lotor smiled, full of determination. “Let's get this data to Kolivan.”  
_____

Kolivan stood completely still, obviously shocked from the news. The other Blades in the room were completely silent as well.

“It… can't be. After 10,000 years, Voltron is…” He couldn't continue. He was silent again.

No one could move.

The silence was cut by the sound of the door opening. Krolia stood there, becoming suddenly confused by the rest of the Blades. She looked over to the half Galrans in the center of the room.

“Hey mom.” Keith and Acxa said together.

“What's going on?”

“Oh nothing,” Keith smiled smugly, “we just found out Voltron is back.”

“What?!” She yelled.

“Yup.” Ezor made her way to Krolia, resting her elbow on her shoulder. “It was seen on planet Arus.”

Krolia didn't know what to say. Everything was happening so fast. “So… what are we going to do?”

Lotor spoke up. “We are going to meet the pilots of the lions and start an alliance with them. With the Blade, the Freedom Fighters, and Voltron together, we have a chance at stopping Zarkon.”

“When will you start this mission?”

The group turned to Krolivan to await instructions. He looked away, thinking hard about this. ‘It's dangerous, and who knows what the paladins are like, and if they'll want to work with Galra.’ He lingered on this. ‘No, if we want to end this war, then we need to try.’

He faced the group again. They watched him curiously, all except the Galran prince, who was poised and serious as always. Kolivan breathed out slowly. His eyebrows furrowed, “You will start right away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, they know Voltron is here now. A lot is going to happen.
> 
> Again, if anyone needs some clarification, just ask in the comments. I know I'm not the best at explaining, and I really want everyone to understand.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	9. Our little talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Keith have a small talk before the arrive to Arus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here's another chapter. This kinda feels like filter tbh, but it's nice. Lotor is basically a big brother to Keith and Acxa, but they treat him like he's a dad(kinda like how the paladins act like Shiro is space dad).
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

The ship was quiet. Only the hum of the engines could be heard. Lotor sat back in his seat, staring at the blue screens.

‘Just another hour and my shift will be over,’ he thought to himself.

The team had decided to take turns piloting the ship while the rest slept. It would be quite some time before they reach Arus, so it was best to get some sleep. 

Lotor had volunteered to pilot first, but quickly began to feel himself grow more tired by the minute. He shut his eyes, quickly falling into a light sleep. 

His mind wandered to the times before the Blade, back to planet Benedcir. Back to when he would fall asleep with a book. Back to when he would wake up to the sound of knocking at the door.

Just like now.

His eyes shot open as he heard the sound of the mechanical doors open behind him. He already knew who it was.

“Couldn't sleep again Keith?” The prince watched as the boy took a seat next to his.

“You know me so well.” He sighed. The dark circles under his eyes were much more noticeable than usual.

“Do you want to talk about it.” Lotor didn't need to specify. He had known the twins their entire lives. He knew when they were upset, no matter how much they try to hide their feelings. 

Keith stayed silent before eventually letting out a deep breath. “Do you think the Galra will invade Earth?”

Lotor didn't answer immediately. He wasn't sure how to. Data showed that the empire had been expanding closer to the Milky Way. If they couldn't ally themselves with Voltron soon, they might not be able to stop the Galra before they get to Earth.

“If I'm honest, I don't know what to think right now. The empire is getting larger, but so are the rebels. And now with the reemergence of the universe's greatest weapon, we are closer than ever.”

“What if voltron doesn't want to ally themselves with us?”

“If they truly want to end this war, they will use all the help they can get.”

Keith stayed quiet. Lotor's answer wasn't the most reassuring, they never were. But they were honest. He was never one to sugarcoat a situation, and Keith could appreciate that. Lotor never gave the answer people wanted to hear, but it was the one they needed.

Neither of them spoke for a while, but the air around them felt heavy. Lotor knew that wasn't the only problem.

“Are you okay?”

The question caught him off guard. He knew he couldn't hide anything from the prince. Unlike himself, Lotor was a people's person. He could read a person like an open book. Best just to tell the truth. “I don't know.”

“What's wrong?”

“It's just… is it dumb for me to care so much about Earth ever though I've never really been there?”

Lotor gave him a sympathetic look. “Of course not. It is never dumb to care. Your feelings towards Earth are just like my feelings for Altea, only now, we have the chance to save your planet.”

“Well, you have the Colony.”

“True, but it's nothing compared to the real deal.” He chuckled.

Keith laughed with him. “I guess not.”

Their laughter subsided. “Okay,” Lotor spoke again, “do you want to talk as well, Acxa? Or do you want to continue hiding behind my seat?”

There was a quiet groan before Acxa moved to sit on the other side of Lotor's seat. “I didn't want to interrupt you two.” She sighed, looking up to her brother, who gave her a soft smile. She relaxed a bit and continued. “I wanted to ask something. If the blue lion was on Earth, is it possible that the pilot could be human?”

Neither of the boys really thought about it. Keith couldn't even grasp his mind around the idea of even meeting a human, a full human. Lotor began connecting the dots. 

“It seems likely. If, as far as we know, Earth isn't aware that other life exists outside of itself. It wouldn't exactly be easy for another species to find their way to the planet without someone detecting them.”

“So,” Keith piped up, “we might meet more humans?”

Lotor could see the excitement on both of their faces. He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by an alarm. his time was up.

He stood from his seat. “Well, my shift is over. Which one of you wants to take the next one?”

“I'll take it.” Keith said, sitting in the pilot's seat.

“Alright then, I'm off. Come Acxa, you need to rest as well.” Acxa made her way to the door alongside him. “By the way, I think you will meet more humans soon, even if it's not the paladins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, I dont remember what's gonna happen next, but let me tell ya, its gonna be good, I think. Hope you enjoy
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	10. Planet Arus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrive on Arus and start with there mission, unfortunately the find out they find out it might not be as easy as they thought, but maybe it might make things more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I havent posted in a while, sorry about that. This is really short too, what have I been doing? At least it's up now, but nothing is really happening, yet. Trust me, its gonna get gud.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

“Ugh, it's been like half a varga! How much longer till we get there?” Ezor complained for the 50th time since they landed on Aris. She was the only one not walking, opting to have Zethrid give her a piggyback ride.

“We'll be there soon.”

“You said that last time, Acxa.” She slumped over Zethrid's shoulders. “Why’d we land so far?”

“We don't know what these paladins are like. It's best not to engage them yet.”

“Ugh, fine.”

They walked in silence. Though Ezor complained, she knew why they were so far. The castle could detect their ship if it was too close. The paladins would probably respond to the alert, and they couldn't be caught without information first.

On foot, the castle wouldn't be able to detect them unless they were a few feet away from it, and from the distance they can get, it would be easy to hack the system and shut off the alarms. But that wasn't their plan. They wanted to get close enough to hack into the security cameras within the castle. They could have a live feed of the paladins, and study them from afar. 

They weren't really into the idea of stalking them, mainly because it would be incredibly boring, but at least the planet was nice. Very nature-like, much different from the Blade bases. But that probably wasn't going to make up for the lack of action. Lotor knew no one wanted to do this, especially Zethrid, who gets cranky when she can't destroy things, but they were Kolivan's orders, and no one disobeys him. 

He's been keen on keeping the Blades a secret, much more than any others before him, so trying to form alliances with people he knew nothing about was out of the question. For many reasons, Lotor agreed with him. There was obviously a lot of prejudice against the Garla, and for good reasons, so even though they might want to help people, they could easily be turned away or attacked. Continuing as a spy organisation was always Kolivan's plan, but Lotor had always done recruitment missions, and now that there were several half breeds who can blend in the empire, they've done the most they can to build an army of rebels. Only few of the Freedom Fighters knew that they were Galra.

Suddenly, Kova, who was walking ahead of everyone with Cosmo, ran back to the group. In an instant, Cosmo appeared beside the twins. Narti used her messaging screen to warn the group.

[There might be a small problem] she typed. [Sendak is here].

“The report said voltron destroyed a Garla fleet.” Lotor stated. He wouldn't have guessed someone from the fleet survived, Voltron is too powerful, unless the pilots were inexperienced. Great, now they had to deal with Sendak. “Alright, we'll have to avoid him somehow, we can't risk getting caught by the Garla. Narti, was he alone?”

[There were a couple sentries, and a lieutenant].

Keith scoffed. “Sentries? How did sentries survive an attack from Voltron?”

“I think it may be the paladins.” Lotor responded bluntly. “They may not have complete control of their lions yet.”

No one spoke. They thought of the world's most powerful weapons being in the hands of inexperienced pilots was not comforting.

Acxa let out an angry growl. “Then they better get control soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this is here now. Also, just gonna say, I basically wrote Ezor at the start like how I would act. Lol gotta get that self insert somewhere, even though I basically did that in chapter 3 with Qyiag, and yeah, I'm definitely gonna use their character later, I just really liked their design, even though I really didnt explain how they looked. If anyone wants to know what the characters look like, just ask. I'm not the best at explaining stuff so i just kinda left stuff out, like the half galra forms of Keith and Acxa. Anyways bye, I'll post soon.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	11. Small update

Hey guys, I know it's taken me a long time to write the next chapter. I've just felt so unmotivated for a while, but rest assured that the next chapter is almost done and ready to be uploaded. Its longer than any of the others and I'm excited to continue this story. I have not abandoned it. 

Sorry for the long wait, I didnt mean to take so long. Once again, I'm sorry.


	12. Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days go by as the group studies Voltron from afar, taking note on the paladins' abilities and personalities. Unfortunately, they might need to break Kolivan's orders and get closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY UPDATED THIS!!! Again, I'm so sorry it took so long, but hey, this is a long ass chapter at least. I worked hard on this one. I hope I can start a more consistent schedule with all my fics.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson

The team spent most of their day either spying on the castle, spying on Sendak, or watching the security cameras that they successfully hacked into. 

Only Ezor was allowed to watch Sendak, due to her ability to turn invisible. Lotor had assigned her to report any suspicious behavior while he and Narti kept an eye on the castle from the outside, which turned out to be quite amusing on their first day.

Keith, Acxa, and Zethrid sat bored out of their minds in their ship. They didn't see the point of watching the castle came if the paladins weren't even inside. All they did was watch the princess's advisor fix mechanical problems all day, that is, until they got a message.

It was from Lotor. The message was a recording of the paladins training. The recording of the lions in a nose dive resulting in green, yellow, and red crashing into the ground was the best part of the mission so far, according to Zethrid, though everyone agreed with her. The rest of the day was quite bland from the outside, but Keith, Acxa, and Zethrid got to enjoy the view of the inside of the castle.

The twins types several notes on the paladins, making sure to study anything that might be of use to know. They opted to split the paladins into groups, and study them apart. Acxa watched green and blue, while Keith watched red and black. After much arguing, they finally convinced Zethrid to take notes on yellow and the advisor, though she only agreed since they're were the funniest of the bunch.

It didn't take long for them to find out that most of the team consisted of humans, which the twins were secretly excited about. Lotor was also quite happy to see more Alteans, especially those who had actually lived on Altea. 

The quickly found out everyone's names, noting it down and sending the information to the rest of the team. Ezor had found most their names silly, similar to how she thought Keith's name was weird.

The whole day seemed quite uneventful. Well, it could have been more interesting if they hadn't hid the moment the lions had formed voltron. Unfortunately, missing what could have been the sight of a lifetime really put a damper on everyone's mood. The next day however…

Something had crashed onto the planet, not far from the castle, and according to Lotor, it came directly from Haggar. He let out a low growl as he watched a robotic beast emerge from a metal container-like ship. 

“This is Haggar's doing.” He began to move from his position on the cliff side near the castle. Narti followed behind him, sticking closely to more hidden areas. To be discovered too early by Voltron was one thing, but if Zarkon found him, he might as well give up.

He put on his helmet quickly, not caring that it went over his hair. “Acxa, come in.”

“You see the beast too?” He heard her answer.

“Yes, make sure to stay hidden. We are not to be spotted by that robeast under any circumstances. The witch might have a connection to it, and Zarkon cannot know about us.”

“Copy that, I'll tell Keith and Zethrid.”

Lotor's eyes widened. “Are they not with you?”

“They went outside to see what was happening. It's a pretty good view from where we're at. I only got a look, but it seems like the beast is already engaging with the black and green lions.”

“Alright then. Make sure they don't do anything stupid. Narti and I will get Ezor, we'll meet up with you soon.”

“Got it.” 

Lotor stopped his movements, turning back to Narti who was quickly typing away on her holoscreen built into her gauntlet while Kova sat calmly on her shoulder.

[Ezor's tracker says she is somewhere near the forest. It will take too long to get to her, and we might be spotted by Sendak or someone on his crew.]

Lotor read her message on his own screen, huffing slightly at their predicament. “Maybe Keith can go get her with Cosmo-”

He was cut off by the sound of the other lions roaring as the left the castle. He and Narti quickly took cover behind the rock formations on the cliff. 

They hid for a few seconds before Lotor spoke into his helmet again. “Keith, do you copy?”

The sound of static rang through his ears for a while before the reply came in. “I'm here, what do you need?”

“I need you to take Cosmo and grab Ezor from the forest.”

“Got it.”  
______

“Here, it's Ezor's cloak.” Zethrid said, handing it to Keith.

“Thanks.” 

He held the cloak to Cosmo, who proceeded to sniff it. I took about 7 sniffs before he let out a loud bark.

Keith pet the wolf's head. “Good boy, he has her scent.” He looked up to the other two. “We'll be right back.”

He wrapped his arm around the wolf, and in a flash, they vanished.  
______

Zethrid and Acxa stayed within their ship, waiting until Lotor and Narti rushed in with Keith close behind. They were all completely out of breath, but had awestruck faces.

Ezor smiled brightly, her eyes large and excited. “You need to see this!”

She led them outside, just barely poking her head out of the cave where they hid their ship. Keith, Narti, and Lotor quickly joined her as Acxa and Zethrid approached cautiously. 

“I thought you wanted us to stay inside?” Acxa asked, crossing her arms.

Lotor chuckled, not look back at her. “I did, but look.” He nodded to what he and the others were looking at, and so Zethrid and Acxa joined them all by the edge of the cave entrance.

As soon as they took one look outside, they froze, becoming just as awestruck as the others. Outside, right in front their very eyes, was the universe's greatest weapon. Its last hope to peace, standing proudly, wielding a large sword.

It was incredible. The large robot moved slightly, and they quickly reached for each other's hands, feeling as the ground shook with Voltron's movements. 

Instead of going back to their posts, they stayed in their ship though it was only the afternoon, going over the information they have collected.

“They seem to have the castle completely operational. Any day they'll leave the planet.” Lotor said, reading through the notes he had taken.

“And by any day, you mean tomorrow.” Acxa said. “The princess wants to start their journey.”

Keith quickly sat up. “Yeah, and it seems like the black paladin, what's his name, Shiro, has history with the Galra already. His right arm is Galra tech.”

“Yes, and the green one, Pidge, has a drone, though she has recalibrated it, so it obeys her.” Acxa looked through her own notes, looking for any more information that might be useful. “Pidge seems to be very good with technology, and the princess Allura is quite a formidable fighter, and pilot.”

Keith continued. “Shiro seems to be a good fighter and pilot too. He's also a really good leader, and has good judgement from what I've seen. The red one though… he's, um, different.”

“How so?”Lotor asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it's like he doesn't exactly take this seriously. He spends most of his time just sort of exploring the castle and talking with the yellow paladin. He does seem to be a capable pilot, though it looks like he has trouble controlling the red lion. And his fighting isn't exactly the best, but he's excels at sharpshooting. I think the best way to describe him is incredibly silly and immature.”

“Silly?”

“Yes, he's constantly making jokes, goofing off, or flirting with the princess.”

Lotor leaned back, twirling a strand of his hair between his fingers. “Interesting, that doesn't really sound much like the qualities of the red paladin. According to legend, the red lion chooses a paladin that is runs on instinct and is incredibly temperamental, like you Keith.”

Giggles spread around the room as Keith crossed his arms, sticking his tongue out to the Galran prince.

“I was joking, but back to what I was saying, he seems like a better fit for the blue lion.”

“Well that's the thing,” Acxa interrupted, “he can pilot blue.”

Lotor sat up again. “Wait, what?”

“He can pilot blue! Apparently he's the one who piloted them here, but when princess Allura awoke, she took back her lion, but then red accepted him.”

“I've never heard of a paladin able to fly 2 lions, though the legends were only built off of one generation of paladins.” Lotor leaned back again, a quizzical look on his face. “He has the personality of a blue paladin, but flies red, this must mean that this Lance boy must really look up to and trust the black paladin.”

Keith hummed. “From what I could gather, Shiro sort of famous on Earth. Perhaps Lance looks up to him because of that.”

“Perhaps. What about you Zethrid? What have you gathered about the yellow paladin and the princess's advisor?”

“The yellow paladin, Hunk, likes cooking and is good with machines. He also get sick easily, so that's not really the best combination for a pilot. The advisor, Coran, knows a lot about the castle and that's about it.”

Ezor blinked at her. “That's all?”

“Yup.”

“Hm, well Sendak has pretty much shaken off his defeat and is ready to strike again.”

“Do you know what he's planning?” Acxa asked, scratching behind Kova's ear. 

“Yeah, he wants to take over the castle with a Galra crystal.”

“An invasion.” Keith said. “Can we do anything to stop it, Lotor?”

“I'm not quite sure. Kolivan wanted us to be extremely cautious on this mission. Besides, from what Narti and I saw, the castle is completely operational. Sendak won't be able to just sneak in and take over.”

Keith, Acxa, and Zethrid all looked away from Lotor, sucking in air through their teeth, and letting out a slight groan. Acxa then spoke with a defeated tone. “That would be fine but they're going to shut off all defences tonight to host some sort of party for the Arusians.” 

Lotor and Ezor stared at her with wide eyes, before Ezor dropped her head down and muttered “quiznak” under her breath. 

[So they're planning to put all their defenses down after being attacked by a robeast?]

“I know, this doesn't sound good, but they're the paladins of Voltron. Even if something goes wrong, they can handle it. Right?” Ezor said hopeful, though it was easy to see the doubt setting in her eyes.

With a heavy, low sigh, Lotor stood, running his fingers through his long white hair. “We should go keep an eye on everything.”

The rest of them stood as well, some more excited than others, aka Ezor and Zethrid.  
______

The group snuck there way to the cliff side near the castle, and due to the defenses being down, they got much closer than usual. 

They kept a close eye on their surroundings, and on the castle. If Sendak was going to make a move, now would be the perfect time. The doors were open, allowing the Arusians inside, and the Galra.

“Okay, so we should focus on the bridge. It's best to catch him before he reaches the castle.” Acxa said, peering into binoculars focused on said bridge.

Ezor scoffed. “Then what? What will we do if we see him?”

“I already said we're only here to keep an eye on things. If something goes wrong, then we'll think of a way to help the paladins, but this could be a great opportunity to see how the paladins react to this situation.”

She scoffed again. “Whatever you say, boss man.” 

She scooted closer to Acxa, looking through her own binoculars. “The crystal he has must be from his ship that was destroyed by Voltron. I guess he used the few sentrys he has to dug it up.” 

[Would the castle even be able to run off of a Garla crystal even if it's built for Balmeran crystals?]

Everyone but Acxa turned to Lotor for the answer. He cleared his throat before speaking in an uncertain tone. “I'm not completely sure. The castle was built during a time when Galra and Alteans were allies. I don't have much information on it, considering any Altean knowledge is difficult to get your hands on in the first place.”

Ezor let out a small hum. “Well, maybe they're going to hack the system first, to try and get the castle to accept the new crystal. Oh and speaking of hack, they want to do something to the green paladin's drone, but I don't know what.”

“Maybe they want to copy its programming onto their own drone and sneak it into the castle.” Acxa stated bluntly.

“What do you mean?”

“I think that's what she means.” Keith pointed to the side of the castle where Sendak sat with his lieutenant, sending off a drone through the doors.

Lotor pulled up a screen on his gauntlet of the cameras from inside the castle, following the drones movements. Zethrid popped up beside him, resting her chin on him shoulder to watch. “What do you think they're doing? I think a castle might be a little hard to conquer with a drone.” 

He glared at the screen intensely. ‘Why would they only send a drone. They can't use it to override any of the castle protocols due to the lack of knowledge of the ancient technology. This doesn't make any sense.’

The rest of them gather by Lotor's side as well. Acxa spoke quietly, taking note of the path the drone was taking through the castle. “Maybe they want to spy on them like we are.”

“That doesn't really fit the Garla's style. They're usually not patient.” Keith mumbled. He was right. The Garla normally always go for head on attacks. “They're so rash, short tempered, and explosive.”

Lotor's breath stopped as that one word caught his attention. His eyes went wide as he watched the drone draw closer to the Altean crystal. His own voice felt caught in his throat as it came out barely audible. “...A bomb.”

His screen went dark, and they all jump back as a loud explosion came from the inside.

“Oh quiznak!” They all said in unison. The Arusians scrambled out of the castle. As if that wasn't the worst part, the large fire spreading through the Arusian town sent dead down their spines. 

“Huh?” Keith pleaded forward trying to get a better look. “We might have another problem, Sendak is gone.”

They all scanned the area but found no signs of the Galra. 

“He must be getting the crystal.” Acxa said. “And the town. They're trying to get the paladins away from the castle.”

“And it seems to be working. Look.” Ezor pointed to an Altean pod leaving the castle. “Over there! The princess is going to the town.”

[Does that mean they're leaving the castle to be guarded by 3 paladins, one of which is only a child? After a bomb went off?] Narti typed furiously on her screen. 

“No, they're leaving it to two.” Lotor was able to get his screen working again, looking at the black paladin pick up the red paladin's unconscious body.

Keith leaned over to see, fear spreading across his face as he whispered to himself. “Lance?” Thankfully no was able to hear him over the commotion.

“Uh oh,” Zethrid sat up a bit, looking over at the castle's bridge. “Sendak's back, and he has the crystal.” 

The Garlan general approached the castle, this time with all his sentrys. It wasn't a big army, but enough to overpower the 2 paladins remaining, especially if they were taking care of the unconscious blue paladin. And speaking of paladins, Sendak and his forces stopped in front of the doors as the black paladin Shiro confronted them. Then the fighting started. 

[What is he doing? He can't fight them all!]

Ezor quickly covered her eyes as Sendak sent Shiro flying with a punch. They disappeared out of their sight, and they quickly gathered to Lotor to see through the cameras, only for Shiro to be knocked out.

“We have to help!” Keith huffed as he stood quickly. Lotor grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. 

“We need a plan! We can't risk exposing the Blades. If even one of them is able to contact the empire, out entire organization could be discovered.” Keith's shoulders slumped. He looked worryingly at the castle, but his attention was brought back to the prince. “Unless only one of us goes, someone who can hide easily.”

They all turned to look at Ezor. With her ability to turn invisible, she could sneak around without being spotted. It was perfect, well, almost.

They turned back to the castle as a large particle barrier came down over it. Lotor lowered his head. A long, deep groan came from his throat.

“Well, I can't get in now. What are we going to do?”

Lotor sighed. “There's only one person who can get in now.” All eyes fell on Keith. “Only you can control Cosmo.”

Keith looked back at his pet wolf, who was slightly agitated after the explosion went off. We ran his hand down the wolf's head, calming it a bit.

“Can you do it?” Zethrid asked, noticeably concerned.

He was hesitant before answering a confident “yes.”

“Good.” Lotor moved beside him, placing his hand on the other's shoulder. “This mission is essential to the survival of the paladins and the universe. Save the paladins, but try not to be seen. I believe in you.”

Keith looked into his eyes before looking away and letting out a small chuckle. “That was probably your weakest inspirational speech.”

“We're in a rush.” He laughed with him. “Now go.”

Keith nodded, wrapping an arm around Cosmo. He looked over his team, giving them all assuring smiles before his eyes fell on Acxa. He stuck his tongue out at her teasingly. She rolled her eyes before whispering a “good luck” to him. 

He focused back at the castle, and with a bright flash, he found himself within the barrier, standing at the entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm going to say this now: Keith doesn't have a crush on Lance just yet. He does think he's cute, but he more enjoys his up beat behavior and how relaxed he can be, something he never felt he could experience. He felt bad when he got hurt by the explosion tho. And similarly for Lotor, he more so appreciates Allura's strength and leadership than just liking her yet. That will change soon tho lol.  
> Also I really hope there arent spelling mistakes.
> 
> Tumblr: grapegodperson


	13. Purple Paladin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith needs to help the paladins of Voltron. Sneaking around a castle with two different enemies, Galra and a team they still don't know much about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's back, and its longer than ever. Woo-hoo, this was fun but also hurt cuz rewatching voltron Kills me.

Keith opened his eyes as he looked around. He was inside the castle. He found himself in a large hallway, completely empty at both ends, nothing but a soft purple glow filling the space.

“Quiznak, it's going to be impossible to find anyone here.”

He made his way down the hall, or up, he had no clue. The Galra crystal was jamming his sensors.

“Sendak really thought this through.”

His only option was wander till he found something. Keeping close to the walls, he snuck around the halls. If anything was there, he should be careful. Though it seemed all the Galra were in the control room with Sendak, and without a map, he wasn't going to find them.

He looked through the rooms around him, no sign of life anywhere. One by one, he passed several empty rooms.

Kitchen? Empty.

Training room? Empty.

The paladins’ dorms? Empty, but messy as hell.

The armory? Emp- wait.

He backtracked to the armory. The paladin armor should have the entire castle mapped, and since it was connected to it, the crystal shouldn't interfere. Plus, now he could fight without exposing the Blades. A perfect disguise.

He pressed his ear to the door. No noise, empty. The door opened, and he surveyed the room. He still kept his guard up as he entered, Cosmo following close behind.

There were 5 glass cases in the center, most likely for the main 5 paladin armors, which were all taken. He looked around, eyes falling on a door to his left. A closet.

He opened it, looking over at the several spare armors, none of which matching any of the lions. He quickly grabbed the first one.

Purple.

He stripped from his Blade uniform, hiding it away in the closet. The paladin armor was different, but comfortable, molding to the shape of his body. As he put the helmet on, the suit activated, and he could hear a voice through the comms. It was the green paladin. 

“Allura, can you hear me?”

“Pidge, where are you?” Another voice cut in. The princess.

“I'm inside the castle. Sendak has taken over and he's preparing for launch.” She spoke in a hushed tone, most likely meaning she was near enemies. “He's taken Lance and Shiro!”

“Pidge, you need to listen. If they started the launch sequence, then we don't have much time before lift off to stop it.” 

“What do I have to do?”

“You have to get down to the main engine control panel, and disconnect the primary turbine from the central energy chamber.” Allura said. Keith grinded his teeth, slightly annoyed. If he knew this mission involved a bunch of high tech ship talk, they should have sent Lotor or Acxa. Damn Cosmo for only listening to him.

“If you can do that, then Sendak will have to restart the whole system.” She continued. “That might give us enough time to stop him.”

Keith heard a grunt from Pidge's end, probably signifying that she was heading to whatever Allura spoke about. Keith knew it was going to be impossible to find his was through the castle without knowing anything about it.

Thankfully, it seemed the green paladin also didn't know where she was heading. The few days they had spent in the new environment clearly wasn't enough time to get familiar. 

“Allura, how do I get to the control panel?”

“Your paladin armor is equipped with a map. To open it, simply tap on the screen on the arm brace. It will open a menu for different options and resources.”

Keith quickly followed the instructions as well, feeling a load of tension leave his body for being right about a map. The menu opened, listing several different things to use.

_________________________________________

Menu

Armor parts  
Training  
Visibility   
Allies  
Map  
Search  
__________________________________________

He glanced at the different sections, noticing the map. He noted to himself that he should check the armor section later. 

“Open the map, it should bring up a different menu that will allow you to input your destination. After that, follow the line.” Allura said.

“Got it.”

__________________________________________  
Map

Search  
___________

 

__________________________________________

“Okay, now type in “Main engine”. You'll find the panel once you're there.”

Keith typed it in, and immediately his visor began to display a path to follow in a sort of grid-like fashion. It was telling him to go down a hallway to the left. He closed the menu and let the map lead the way.

The map took him down several lefts and rights to the point where had no idea if he could even make it back to the armory. Though that was something he didn't need to worry about since he had Cosmo. Each pathway looked about the same, with small differences like the amount of doors, or the occasional sentry guard, which he easily bypassed by teleporting behind them and taking them out unnoticed.

It wasn't until the pathway lead him to an elevator that he slowed down. 

Since activating it would probably alert Sendak, he decided teleport in, only to find himself and Cosmo barely able to stand on a small ledge looking over a large fall. 

The castle seemed to go down for several stories.

The path continued to the bottom, reaching the last doors. After teleporting in, he quickly hid behind entryway of the only room on the floor. He pried open the doors with his knife to peer inside. He could see the green paladin approach a large power core glowing a bright blue in the center. 

“Okay Allura, I'm near the turbine.” Pidge said into her comms. “I think its started.”

Keith clenched at his knife's handle. He couldn't really do anything to help in a situation involving the Altean tech.

“Then you'll have to hurry.” Allura responded. “Cross the catwalk to the main column in the center.”

Pidge obliged and began to run to a panel near the core. 

“Okay!”

“Now, open hatch. Find the central computer control hub, and enter the following sequence…”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait! Which one is it? All the labels are in Altean!”

Both him and Pidge were starting to panic a pit. Pidge stared into the control panel at 8 sets of blue energy flowing through some weird Altean containers. Everything looked the same, aside from the silver labels that meant nothing to her.

Before Allura could explain, the central core began to power up, radiating energy around the room. It began to glow brighter and brighter. Keith already knew it meant that Sendak had started the launch sequence.

“I can't tell which one it is!” Pidge yelled, trying to be heard over the core. There was no answer from the other end. “Allura? Allura!?”

Pidge stood, staring down at the control console which was glowing a dim red, showing statistics and diagrams Keith couldn't hope to understand. Though it seemed that Pidge had just about as much knowledge of Altean technology that he had. 

Nothing she saw made any sense to her. She tried looking back in the panel, before activating her bayard and aiming it to the hub.

“Whatever!” 

She jabbed her bayard to the energy containers, causing a spark to launch her back a few feet. Pidge grunted as hit the ground with a loud thud, her bayard landing beside her. Rover quickly flew to her side as she stared down the now shutting down lower core. 

She sat up, giving a smirk to Rover. She began to stand, which meant it was Keith's turn to leave. He un-jammed his knife from the door and let it close slowly. From the other side, he could hear her footsteps as she ran back to the door. 

He wrapped his arm around Cosmo and pulled him into a dark corner in the hall. The green bayard slipped through the crack of the doors and pried them open, as Pidge and Rover slipped through, heading back into the elevator. 

Keith watched as Pidge utilized her jetpack to get back up, making sure to keep enough distance so that she doesn't see him.

Suddenly he heard a voice call out in his helmet. It was the princess again

“There's not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in.”

“You got it. Tell me what to do.” Pidge answered.

“The particle barrier generator is beneath the main hull…” Allura continued speaking.

Keith began to tune her out while he opened up his map again and enter in the directions for the main hull. By the time he looked up again, Pidge was nowhere to be seen, most likely already on her way to the hull. Keith didn't mind playing catch-up. 

He continued his ascend. The comms were quiet now, neither Pidge nor Allura were making a sound, not that he minded. Looking down, he could see Cosmo teleporting from ledge to ledge. Keith decided to try out the suit and utilize the jetpack.

So far it had been working, though it felt very different from his normal Blade uniform, and even stranger compared to his Earth clothes. Though it wasn't like he had a lot of it.

Krolia had only taken handful of their father's clothes as a memory of him, and some of the clothes that he had bought for her during her time on the planet. After all these years, she had basically ignored them, but Keith and Acxa had grown quite accustomed to wearing the clothes when they didn't have any missions. Of course the clothes didn't exactly fit, but it was better than wearing armor all day, something it seemed Lotor still didn't understand, somehow managing to wear armor all the time.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he reached the ledge on the floor he needed to be on. He jammed his knife in between the doors and pried them open, checking for any enemies before fully opening them to allow himself and Cosmo through. 

The elevator was only a few doors away from the generator room. He snuck to the doorway, hearing no sound. He took a peek, then calmly let himself in once he saw that no one was there. 

The room was almost completely empty, with a sort of catwalk with only two control panels on it. On either sides, hundreds of purple lightning arcs ran down freely, coming from an unknown source. 

He kept his distance, knowing it was probably dangerous to mess with them. 

Knowing that he had no idea what he was doing, he surveyed the rest of the room. The only thing that stood out was some railing to keep people away from the arcs, a small platform that overlooked the main catwalk near the main entrance. He eyed it for a bit, noting the vent, but then used Cosmo to teleport to it after the light sound of footsteps could be heard from down the hall. 

Allura's voice cut through the silence again.

“Pidge, have you made it to the generator room?”

He ducked as the green paladin ran in, looking around just as he was earlier.

“I'm in. This technology is so advanced, I don't know if I can figure it out.” She said, walking to the center of the room.

“Yes, you can. The lives of your fellow paladins are at stake. You can't give up.”

Pidge froze at Allura's words, taking them in for bit. He gaze fell on the floor then back up.

“Okay. Talk me through it, Allura.”

“Shutting down the barrier from this room can be dangerous. Remember, the barrier is also a weapon. So stay away from the energy arcs.”

“Don't touch the giant lightning bolts, got it.”

“Now, what I'm going to need you to do is--” 

She was cut off when Pidge let out a surprised yelp. Rover had pushed into her only a second before laser shots came from down the hall.

“Pidge! Hello? Are you there?” Allura asked, concerned. “Pidge, what's going on?”

Four sentrys bursted into the room, firing their weapons to a control panel Pidge began using as cover. Keith could see that she pulled up the menu of her gauntlet, typing something in. However, whatever she was doing was completely interrupted when the lasers stopped firing at her.

She looked over her cover, and slumped over with her mouth wide open. She could only stare in disbelief as she witnessed the sentrys firing upon what she only assumed was a wolf.

Keith continued to watch from the ledge, holding his breath as Cosmo attacked the robots, teleporting too fast for any of them to land a hit on him.

It didn't take long for the room to become empty, but none of it mattered when more steps could be heard coming down the hall. He grunted in frustration as he swiftly opened his menu again.

_________________________________________

Menu

Armor parts  
Training  
Visibility   
Allies  
Map  
Search  
__________________________________________

His eyes fell on the armor section. He clicked on it, opening up a new menu.

__________________________________________  
Armor parts  
Helmet  
Torso  
Arms  
Legs  
Bayard  
__________________________________________

He clicked helmet. Another menu...  
_________________________________________  
Helmet  
| Visor settings:  
| Comms volume  
| Transparency   
| Brightness  
| Night vision  
| X-ray  
|  
__________________________________________

Transparency…

_________________________________________

Transparency scale  
|-----------●-----------|  
Dark Bright  
__________________________________________

He shifted the scale to the far left. Nothing changed in his vision, but he only hoped that darkened his visor so his face wasn't visible.

Now that he was ready, and since he didn't want to risk Cosmo getting hurt, he stood from his position and whistled loudly, catching both Cosmo and Pidge's attention.

Cosmo teleported back to him, but Pidge was still unable to form any words. He stared at her for a bit before gesturing for her fo follow him. First the castle gets taken over, now a complete stranger in paladin armor and a teleporting wolf was helping her? It was a strange day. 

She finally was able to move when the sound of the footsteps were finally loud enough for her human ears to pick up. 

Using her bayard, she grappled up to him, both of them quickly clambering into the vent before the sentrys could see them.

They crawled up to the only exit, shut off by a wall panel. Pidge used her bayard to weaken it before kicking it off.

Once they crawled out, Keith immediately recognized where they were. The training room he had passed by when he first arrived.

“Who are you!?” 

He flinched a bit, having somewhat forgotten about the green paladin, who had been standing only a few feet away from him. Thankfully, he didn't have to answer, for two sentrys jumped through the observation deck of the training room.

They aimed their weapons at the two, as the both pulled up shields. Keith made an effort at blocking Cosmo as well, who was tired from teleporting.

Pidge pulled up the training room menu, and started tampering with it.

“The invisible maze,” she called out. She tossed a smirk in Keith's direction. “Let's see them get through this.” 

She nodded to him, then to another vent on the floor across from them. They both dropped their shields and started charging towards the robots, trying to get passed them. Cosmo bolted to the other side of the room as Keith flipped over one of the guards, and Pidge slid under the other's legs. 

Once they were the near the vent, she activated the maze. One of the sentrys slammed straight into it, causing it to break off it's arms and fall to the ground. The other kept bumping into them, getting only minor shocks, but it was enough to get away.

Pidge turned to the vent, which was already pried open and hopped in, Rover following close behind. She found herself in an intersection, looking around to the mysterious paladin, but there was no sign of him.

She had no time to think when a laser was shot at her again. From behind her, the sentry was crawling up to her, firing at her relentlessly. She scampered down one of the paths, the sentry close on her tail. 

Keith watched as she ran away, choosing the path opposite to his. 

‘Shit,’ he thought to himself. ‘Lotor's gonna be pissed when he finds out I broke the one rule he set for me.’

He crawled slowly down the path Pidge had taken, hearing the laser shots and metal clanking. 

‘Don't be seen. It was literally the only rule.’

He followed the sound of her crawling to an empty hallway, but thankfully, she was loud enough for him to hear her running down one of the hallways. 

Not to mention she started talking with Allura again.

“Hey Allura, do you know anything about a purple paladin?”

“Purple?” She asked.

“Yeah, and a magic space wolf.”

“I've never heard of this. What's going on?”

She huffed. “It seems that a random person dressed in purple armor with a wolf somehow got into the castle and are helping me… I think.”

“What do you mean you think?”

“Well, they sort of just… disappeared.” Pidge said unsure. “And I don't know if they're coming back or not.”

“Well, we can discuss this after we take back the castle.”

“Alright. Anyways, I'm coming up on the main engine again. I'll talk later.”

Keith could hear another voice coming from the room, a Male one. He opened the doors and near the power core was a Galra, lieutenant Haxus. Pidge was nowhere in sight, but he could hear her voice in the comms.

“Gotcha… And up, and up, and up. I would not want to be touching a metal surface when this thing overloads.”

An alarm started blaring through the room. Keith took the hint and shut the door again. He could hear the power core overloading, and the sound of Haxus screaming. 

Once it was quiet again, he pressed his head to the door, able to hear the faint sounds of someone talking.

“You're the one causing all this trouble? A child?”

“I'm not a child,” Pidge retorted. “I'm a paladin of Voltron.”

Keith ignored the rest as he tried to open the door. The shock of power fried the system even from the outside. Once again, he had to open the door with his knife to get in.

Pidge was busy fighting Haxus. He was a much better fighter than her, launching her to the control panel. He stood above her, holding up his Galran sword.

“Nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to hide.” 

Rover came up behind him, making small beeping noises enough to distract him for Pidge to slide between his feet and knock him over.

He stood at the edge of the catwalk, trying to keep his balance when Rover slammed into him. He lost his balance and latched onto Rover. It was the only thing keeping him from falling.

Rover started to glow brightly, he was shutting himself off to get rid of Haxus, until Keith came up behind Pidge and swung up at Haxus’ hand.

The Galran screamed in pain as the Marmoran blade severed his hand. Rover stopped his shutdown process and speeded back over to Pidge. Keith stood at the edge to watch the lieutenant's demise.

“Haxus, report in!” Sendak growled over the control console. They turned their attention to at as Pidge stomped over to it, speaking in a smug tone.

“Haxus is gone, and you're next!”

“You've slowed me down, but this ship is mine! You will turn yourself over to me immediately!”

“Never!” She yelled back at him.

“Well, then maybe your leader can convince you.”

There was a slight pause, the someone spoke. They sounded angered.

“What do you want?” Keith knew it was Shiro.

Sendak ignored the question and continued. “Your friend wanted to hear from you.”

“Shiro?” She asked, panicked.

“Pidge? Pidge, don't listen to--” He cut himself off with a cry in pain.

“No!”

“You can make it stop,” Sendak spoke again. “Turn yourself in. His suffering is in your hands.”

He turned off the communications, leaving Pidge and Keith in silence, before Pidge composed herself again. This time, she was looking straight at Keith.

“Allura, they're back.”

“The purple paladin?” The princess asked, having been quiet the entire time. 

“Yeah…” That's all she answered with before speaking directly to him.

“You don't talk much, do you. You won't answer me if I ask anything.”

She was right of course. He stayed silent, just watching her. She sighed and turned away from him.

“Come on, we have to save Shiro and Lance.”

She began to run to the door, where Cosmo had been waiting for them. He stood when she saw him, and followed along.

It was like a thousand of twists and turns, passing by room after room, none of them occupied. Keith found himself thinking more about the fact that he'll probably have to get to know the different rooms if they join forces. As a kid he thought living in a castle was awesome, now it just felt like a chore. 

‘So many rooms, so much floor to clean.’

He could practically feel Acxa telling him to clean up. No matter what the Galra has done, or is doing, he still feared what his sister would do more than anything the Galra can pull off. 

And speaking of Galra…

They finally were outside the main room. Sendak stood menacingly over and unconscious Lance and a severely injured Shiro. 

“I'm impressed that you managed to escape. Perhaps it would be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit. Of course, they will all end up broken, just like you. Now that we have Voltron, every planet, every race, all share the same fate.” 

Pidge looked over to Keith, who was too busy glaring at the large Galran soldier to even notice. 

‘There's no way I'll let you destroy Earth. You and Zarkon will pay for everything.’

He had to force himself not to doing anything rash. He knew they were no match for Sendak. As one of Zarkon’s top ranked generals, an inexperienced human child and a half-breed would be utterly crushed by him, unless they had some sort of plan.

Sendak went back to the controls. He was trying to reboot the system after the power core overloaded. It was only a matter of time before he got it working again, but they didn't have time.

Keith glanced over to the two paladins lying on the ground. Shiro looked to be completely defeated, not making an effort to move, not like being able to stand would do him any good in the situation anyways. But Lance was lying still, not a single move. It was as if he were a statue.

He stopped staring when he noticed the movement from the other side of the doorway. Pidge was making strange gestures at him. She was probably trying to tell himself something. He was glad she couldn't see through his visor. The redness of his face would easily give away that he was a bit embarrassed at the fact that he didn't understand the hand gestures. 

He simple raised his arms and shrugged at her. She face palmed her helmet, looking as though she was 3 seconds away from throwing her bayard at him. And she was about to, already aiming it at him, when Allura spoke to them.

“The barrier is down. I'm on my way to help the two of you.”

Keith wanted to sigh in relief, but bit his tongue since Sendak would probably hear it. Pidge simply leaned her head back onto the wall.

“Alright, listen closely. I can trap Sendak within a barrier that can activate around the main controls. If we can get this just right, we can defeat him. I'm almost there, start without me.” Allura said.

Pidge nodded to him and he gave her a thumbs up. She pulled up her menu and entered a command. Soon, a hologram of herself was created, standing at the entrance of the doors, in complete view. The pressed themselves into the corners of the walls when a large mechanical hand reached out from inside the room, attempting to grab the hologram. 

It ran, and Sendak rushed out, chasing after it. Once he was out of sight, Pidge and Keith moved in. Pidge quickly moved to check on Shiro.

Keith was about to run over to Lance, when he heard the steps coming back. Sendak knew it was a trick. He quickly hid by the door again.

“Shiro, wake up. It's me, Pidge--”

She was lifted off the ground by Sendak's mechanical arm. He brought her close to him, holding her up high.

“You really thought your little hologram trick would work with me?”

He looked back to see Allura making her way into the room, and Keith standing in defense.

Keith took out his blade, transforming it into a sword. Sendak simply held Pidge up to them as a threat.

“Stand back--”

A bright blaster shot hit him on the back, causing him to drop the green paladin. Keith eyes widened when he was that it was Lance, who had awoken from his coma and shot at the Galran general, before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Keith took the opportunity and charged at Sendak, swinging his blade at him. He managed to hit his real arm, enough to stun him and kick him in the leg. Sendak knelt, and Keith brought his sword down on him, but the Galran blocked his blow. He pushed Keith off of him, and picked him up, tossing him to the other side of the room. 

This gave Pidge enough time to cut off the connection between his mechanical arm. In anger, he charged at her, while Allura ran to the controls. Pidge and Keith continued to fight him back, electrocuting him.

Keith swung his sword again, but he caught the blade. They struggled against each other, fighting for control. Just a little more time…

“Now!” Allura yelled from the other side of my room.

Keith smirked, looking down up at the control panel he was forcing Sendak closer to. A bright blue circle began to glow on the ground between the two, and in one swift motion, Keith finished it by kicking Sendak in, trapping him.

He just punched at the barrier. Grunting angrily at Keith, staring him down in his fit of rage. Keith met his eyes, squinting at the general, then turning away. 

Allura continued to regain control of the castle, while Pidge and he attended to the other two paladins. She ran over to Shiro, breaking through his hand cuffs, while Keith went over to Lance. 

The red paladin was currently struggling to get up. Keith extended his hand down to him. Lance didn't hesitate to grab it, but he made no effort to get up, instead, he held it.

Keith knelt down. He looked into his eyes, unable to do anything but stare. Lance stared at him back, not able to process the situation. They continued to look at each other in silence, when a familiar voice behind them interrupted.

“Who are you?” It was the princess. Suddenly the room was very focused on him.

Panic set in. He quickly released Lance's hand and let out a loud whistle. In a bright flash, Cosmo appeared beside Keith. He threw his arm over the wolf.

“Wait, stop!” She called out.

Keith didn't stop. He teleported out of the room and back into the armory. He removed the purple armor and put his Blade uniform back on. He tossed the paladin armor onto the ground and teleported back out of the castle.

Allura and Pidge flipped through the security cameras after they got them working again. The searched through every room, trying to find him, but Pidge quickly noticed the discarded armor in the armory. 

She huffed, scratching the back of her head. “Whoever they were, they're gone now.”

Allura put her hands on her hips. The person who helped them, escaped as easily as the arrived. Everyone felt a twinge of concern, all but Lance.

Feeling himself falling back into sleep, he couldn't help but wonder of them.

The purple paladin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hohoho, Keith and Lance get crushes easily. Also, please, I beg of you, tell me if there are spelling mistakes. I want this to look as best as it can and it could really help me out.


	14. New Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter that's basically just set up for the next chapter, not much to say even for a summary.

A few minutes after the barrier went down, Keith appeared by the group at the cliff again.

Ezor sat up when he arrived. “You're out! What happen? I want to know everything.”

“Oh, well um… I got inside and looked around for a while. I found the armory and used one of the paladin suits as a disguise. I fought Sendak and um… the paladins saw me, but they didn't see my face or anything, so we're good.” He looked away from everyone and back to the castle.

Lotor glared at him. His behavior was familiar. Avoiding eye contact, shuddering, slight hint of a smile. Oh fuck, not again. “Who is he?”

“W-what? I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yes you do, you always act like this when you go into a gay panic, so I'll ask again, who is he?” Lotor deadpanned. 

Keith lowered his head with a groan, knowing he couldn't hide anything from the Galran prince.

“He's… the red paladin.”

“Really? Him?” Acxa asked, clearly not hiding her judgement. He stuck his tongue out at her, earning the same back.

Ezor quickly put her arm around his shoulder, looking more lit up than ever.

“What's he look like? Did he talk to you? What's his favorite color?” She continued to bombard him with questions about his new crush.

“AH, don't we have a mission to take care of?” He said nervously. “Let's talk about that instead!”

______

“So a random person in paladin armor just showed up?” Hunk asked. Upon arriving from the Balmera, Pidge told him about the mysterious figure that helped them defeat Sendak.

“Yup.” Pidge responded.

Hunk raised his eyebrows. “And you have no idea where they went?”

“Nope.”

“What if they're still in the castle? What if they're watching us right now?”

He began to tense up, looking around panicky. Pidge rolled her eyes.

“Don't worry, they left the armor and we already scanned the entire castle and its perimeter.” Shiro said, placing his hand on the yellow Paladino's shoulder. He relaxed a bit to the touch. “Anyways, Lance, did say anything to you after the attack?”

Lance sighed, petting one of the space mice. “No, and I couldn't see their face either.”

“Well, whoever they are, they'll easily be able to sneak back into the castle.” Pidge stated bluntly, causing Hunk to panic again.

“What? Look, I know they got in during the attack, but the defenses were down! They can't get in now, right?”

“Who knows? We're dealing with someone we know nothing about other than the fact that they have a magic teleporting wolf. Which, need I remind you, allowed then to get in. They might have a way to deactivate the alarm system.”

All color drained from Hunk's face as he started pacing back and forth.

“Oh no. What if they want to kill us?”

Lance stood up defensively. “Then they wouldn't have helped us!”

“Calm down,” Shiro interrupted. “Look, we don't know who this person is, where they went, or what they want, but right now we have bigger things to worry about.” All eyes fell on him as he stood tall. “We have a Balmera to save.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lotor is fully aware of gay panics. Keith has them often, same with Acxa. And let's not forget that he himself is a pansexual king. Like Brendon Urie.


	15. Battle on Balmera pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voltron has made their way to the Balmera, but are having trouble with the robeast, fortunately for them the Blades are here to help.

“Should we be helping them?” Ezor asked, leaning forward in her seat as they all watched from the ship. They had followed the castle ship as it left Aris. Though it had been quite humorous when the red paladin got his lion stolen, their mission on the Balmera was not going so well.

The paladins and the castle were busy trying to fight off another robeast that had crashed into the living planet. However, it didn't seem like they were winning.

Keith tensed up as voltron barely missed getting hit by thousands of lasers. “We have to help them.”

“How? If that beast sees us, it will attack, and this ship isn't exactly made for battle.” Acxa said, tossing her brother a concerned look.

“So what, you think we should just leave them to die?”

“Let me at him! I'll destroy it!” Zethrid said, flexing her muscles.

“Zethrid, NO!”

Lotor slammed his fist onto his chair's armrests, getting everyone's attention. “That's enough! We're going to help Voltron, but we need to think of a plan.”

“Well, how do you suppose we do that?” Ezor scoffed.

Suddenly, Kova meowed loudly, turning everyone's attention to Narti, who was already typing away rapidly on her screen. 

[Maybe we should help them fight the beast, but to evacuate. The Balmera is dying, if the Balmerians leave, then so will Voltron. They'll be running away from the fight, but from the looks of it, they don't have another choice.

“That's a good idea and all, but how will we evacuate an entire planet? Keith asked. “Our ship only has enough room for us, and there's got to be thousands of Balmerians in those mines.”

“Simple, we'll evacuate them onto the castle,” Acxa butted in.

“How will we do that?”

“The defenses are up now, so we'll be caught once we get inside, but if we can get into the armory and get some paladin suits, we'll still be keeping the blade undercover.”

“Okay,” Ezor said, “but how will we get that armor?”

Her question was swiftly answered when Cosmo teleported into the center of the room, holding six different paladin armors in his jaws.

“Oh, well I guess that solves that.” She pet Cosmo's head. “Now what?”

Acxa picked up a suit from the ground once Cosmo released them.

“Now all we need is one of us to go into the castle to talk with the paladins. 

“Ooh! Can I go!?” Ezor asked, rocking on the heels of her feet. Acxa shrugged.

“I don't know, ask Lotor, he's our leader.”

Ezor turned to him, giving him the best possible puppy dog eyes she could muster. He watched her expressionless before nodding yes.

She grinned wildly and snatched a paladin suit from the ground. “Thanks Lotor!” She hugged him as she passed by to get to the door, still bubbling with excitement.

______

After they all picked their paladin suit and got changed, they came up with a plan as fast as they could. It was complicated, but it was the only thing they had left. Keith quickly taught them how to darken their visors. Narti installed a second comms channel into each suit that would block Voltron from their communications. Ezor dawned an orange suit while Keith chose purple again. Now that the castle's defenses were up, and Cosmo had already triggered the alarms when he took the suits, they expected that the princess's advisor would be on high alert. Ezor and Keith took hold of Cosmo, and in an instant, they were gone.

They teleported into the main bridge, behind a man with slicked-back orange hair. Just as expected, the Altean was alerted to their presence. He turned around quickly, only getting a glimpse of a purple suit and blue fur before they teleported away, leaving behind someone in orange paladin armor.

“Gah!!! Who are you? Where did the purple paladin go!? How many of you people are there!?” The orange haired man asked, stepping farther away from Ezor.

“Calm down. I'm not here to answer your questions. I'm here to help you evacuate the planet.” She walked up to him, looking over the Altean control panel.

“Evacuate!? Hold on a second here!” He screeched, shooing her away from the controls. “What is going on!?”

Ezor groaned, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Voltron can't beat the robeast, so I'm going to help you get the Balmerians off the planet since it's dying anyways. This way, Voltron can live to see another day, and so can the Balmerians. It's simple, now, how do I talk to the paladins?”

Coran stared at her incredulously, not moving a muscle. Ezor huffed out an angry breath, tapping a foot on the ground.

“We don't have all day!”

Coran jumped, moving to the control panel and doing something Ezor didn't understand. He eyed her for a few seconds.

“Well, if we're working together, I guess we should get to know each other,” He said, his voice trembling a bit in fear when the robeast almost hit Voltron again. “I'm Coran.” Ezor wanted to say that she already knew, but that probably would have freaked him out. “What may I address you by?”

“Um…” She hadn't actually thought about a name, though she didn't have to worry much when Acxa's voice cut into her helmet.

“Just use your armor color, it's the easiest way to identify yourself while keeping your real identity a secret.”

“Um… call me orange.”

“Oh, um. Okay, interesting name.” He said, awkwardly shuffling a bit. “So what is your plan anyways.” 

“Open a comm with the lions, I need them for this too.”

“Got it.” Coran typed in the commands on the controls. The Paladino's faces quickly appeared on screen.

Before they could react, Ezor spoke. Attention paladins, I am here to help you evacuate the Balmerians. If you follow my instructions, we'll be able to save everyone on the planet.”

“Who the quiznak are you!?” the red paladin shrieked.

“That's not impor--”

“I thought you guys said they wore purple armor!?” Hunk interrupted. He looked panicked, turning to now address her. “Or are there more of you we don't know about?”

Frustration didn't even begin to describe Ezor's feelings towards the young pilots, but before she could say anything, the green one spoke up.

“Guys quiet! Let's here what they have to say!” Ezor liked this one.

“Okay, the plan is to evacuate all the Balmerians onto the castle. The Balmera is dying, so even if you can defeat that beast, they'll still need to leave. I need you to keep the beast distracted for a while.”

“Uh, I think we got the distracting part down,” Hunk spoke up again.

Ezor let out a soft chuckle. “Good.” She then spoke into the comms in her helmet. “You heard them.”

“You are you talking to?” Coran asked, then heard an alert coming from the ship. Someone had launched an Altean pod. “Was that another one of your people? What are they doing?”

“He's going to go convince the Balmerians to leave. We're going to bring the castle down once all the Balmerians are close to the surface. The less time the castle need to spend around the planet, the better.”

“Is that the purple paladin?” Lance asked somewhat hopeful.

Ezor ignored the tone in his voice and started laughing. “Him? Like we would ever send him on a mission that involves talking.”

‘Him?’ Lance's mind focused on that one word. ‘So purple is a guy.’

The princess finally spoke. “Just how many of you are there?”

“Uh,” Ezor switched back to talking to Acxa again. “Am I allowed to tell them that?”

“Yes, that's fine.” Acxa responded. The rest of them had been monitoring Ezor's conversation while they completed their own part of the plan.

Ezor turned back to the paladins. “There are six of us, and a cat and wolf.” She smiled even though no one could see it. “Anyways, since we're on the topic of our groups, what are your names?” She didn't have to ask, since she and the rest of them knew the paladins’ names.

“Hey, you first.” Lance said.

“Ezor, focus!” Acxa's voice startled her. “We need you in the mines.”

Ezor sighed, facing the paladins again. “Sorry guys, I gotta cut our conversation short. Hope we talk again, especially you Pidge. Later!” She gave a small wave before a bright light appeared, then she was gone.

Lance could have sworn he saw a hint of purple armor before the light left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop, there it is, more meetings. Btw, I feel like I underused Narti and Zethrid, but this chapter is more Ezor based, unlike later chapters so it's all good.


	16. Battle on Balmera pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against time and the robeast continues as there's mistrust from Voltron's end. During their desperate time, they have no choice but to trust their new and mysterious allies.

"You didn't have to take so long," Keith said, annoyed. Ezor wanted to laugh at the boy. He was always so easily bothered by everything.

"Oh calm down, let's just get to the mines. You did remember to put a tracker on the castle right?"

He looked at her with a face that said "duh" before looking back at Cosmo, who was currently licking his hand.

Keith placed his hand of the wolf's head, and using the other hand to grab Ezor's wrist. They teleported into the mine entrance where Lotor had landed a few minutes prior. The rest of the group was waiting their in their stolen paladin armor. Ezor had to admit that Zethrid looked good in pink. Narti just took gray, since color wasn't exactly important to her for obvious reasons. Acxa wore navy blue, which contrasted greatly with the princess's lighter, more vibrant blue. Lotor's armor was white, though it looked silver when the light hit it. 

It seemed that they were all busy when Keith and Ezor arrived. Lotor was already talking with the Balmerians, trying to convince them to leave the planet. Out of everyone in their group, Lotor was the only one with any real public speaking skills, which made sense for a prince.

"You're late," Acxa said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh come on," Ezor giggled, "I was just having a bit of fun." She always did have a carefree attitude. "So, are we ready to go?"

"Yes, Narti has just finished hacking into Voltron's tracking pods." Acxa nodded over to the blind girl who stood by a white pod of the ground. "We now have a map of the mines." She pulled up the map, pointing out a large bunker of Galra ships. "And here's our target. So is everyone ready to go?"

"We're all set," Keith said, walking up to her.

He pulled up the same map, showing it to Cosmo and pointing to their location, then their destination. Cosmo sniffed the holographic screen, then sniffed the air, showing that he understood. Keith whistled to the rest of the group, and they all placed their hands on the wolf, teleporting deep into the mines.

______

"Why do we have to risk our lives for people we don't know!?" Lance shouted, just barely evading a laser from the robeast. Shiro sighed loudly over the comms, clearly annoyed.

"Lance, we technically do that all the time."

"Besides, you haven't been able to stop talking about the purple paladin since he showed up the first time," Pidge teased as Lance let out a deep, annoyed growl.

"They stole from us!" Allura added."And they seem to know a lot of information about us. Need I remind you that the orange one knew Pidge's name?"

Shiro wanted to retork, but Hunk stepped in.

"Yeah, I gotta agree with the princess. I don't like to think that they might have been watching us since Aris."

"Guys, it doesn't matter. They've helped us once before, and now they're doing it again!" Pidge yelled over them.

"Thank you Pidge!" Shiro felt relieved that at least someone was on his side. "Look, even if we don't know them, they have a better plan then we do. Evacuation is our only option."

"Then what?" Allura asked. "Do we run away? Continue fighting? Or do they have a plan for that too?"

Suddenly Ezor's voice cut in through their helmets. "You know we can hear you, right?"

"How long have you been listening?" Lance shrieked.

"We never stopped."

She wasn't exactly making Hunk feel any better with that statement.

"What!? How long have you guys been watching us?"

"That's not important," a different voice answered this time.

"Oh great," Lance groaned, "who are you suppose to be?"

"Navy."

"Let me guess, your armor color is navy blue?"

"Hey, now you're getting the hang of it." It was the first voice again.

Shiro rolled his eyes at the obvious tension between the two teams. They needed to relax around these other "paladins".

"Okay, so I'm guessing you know all our names?"

"Yes sir, Shiro!"

He winced at his name. It was weird to know a stranger knew his name, just like those prisoners from Sendak's ship. "Alright, and if I'm not mistaken, you're Orange, right?"

"Right again."

"And the other person who spoke is Navy."

Ezor hummed in agreement.

"And there's also Purple," Allura added in.

"Yup!"

Shiro continued. "Okay, so you said there was six of you, can you tell us the colors of the last three at least?"

"Sure, why not. There's two you haven't met or seen. They're Pink and Gray. We also have a cat and a wolf." There was a pause. The paladins could hear blasters and grunts coming from the other team. They've must have encountered some sentrys.

They continued to distract the robeast while the others fought in the caves. The two teams stopped talking to each other while they focused more on their tasks. They had forgotten about the last unnamed team member, that is until…

"The Balmerians are ready to go!" A voice spoke suddenly.

Hunk almost jumped right out of his seat.

"Gah! Who was that!?"

"Oh, I forgot about him," Ezor spoke up again. "Voltron, I'd like you to meet White. He's our leader."

"Wait, is he the one who we saw leave the castle?" Lance asked.

"Yup."

She went quiet again. The paladins figured the rest of her group had closed off the comms to them. It seemed only she and White had their comms open, for the moment at least. 

"Well Voltron, I'm gonna have yo cut our conversation short. Talk to you later!" And now there was only one.

It was an eerie silence as everyone waited for something to happen, and that something was for White's final command.

"Coran, bring the castle down now; Voltron, make sure the robeast is sufficiently distracted; the rest of you, you know your mission." 

He closed off his communication. Voltron had no choice but to trust them now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hohoho, writing for Ezor is fun!


	17. Battle on Balmera finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the battle comes to a close, Lance finds himself even more infatuated with the mysterious purple paladin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I literally just updated, but I was feeling motivated so here's another chapter. Hopefully my streak continues because I just don't feel like stopping.

Zethrid rushed into the hanger, destroying the few sentrys guarding the fighter ships. "The coast is clear!" She yelled, tossing one of the broken robots to the wall.

The rest of the group walked in, heading towards the ships. All except Narti, who made her way to the control room. They all took a ship, waiting for Narti to open the hanger.

It took a little longer than they expected, since both the door and the ranger's control panels were destroyed, no doubt it was one of the paladin's doing. Narti had to hack the system before the hanger opened slowly. She hopped down to the ships, entering the closest one as they all left the hanger together.

"Alright Lotor, we've taken off. How are things on your side?" Keith asked through his helmet.

"Everything is going as planned. The castle has landed on the planet and the Balmerians are making their way to the top of the mines. Voltron is struggling, but the beast has paid no attention to us. Continue your mission and help Voltron."

"Roger that."

______

The Balmerians climbed their way up, getting closer and closer to the top of the mine. Lotor led the way up, helping an elderly Balmerian up the ladders. 

He noticed one of the Balmerians approach him.

"So are you a part a Voltron?" He turned to the one speaking, a young Balmerian, around the paladins' ages. "Hunk told me there was only five lions, but there seems to be many more paladins of different colors."

He smiled to her, even though she couldn't see it. "It's a long story. We aren't a part of Voltron, but we are here to help." She smiled to him.

"I'm Shay."

"I'm sorry," he said, smiling fading, "but I'm afraid I cannot tell you my name. My comrades and I have to keep our identities hidden, for now at least."

"For now?" Shay tilted her head slightly. "When will you be able to tell me?"

"After we defeat Zarkon, but for now, our names are to be kept secret. Our faces as well. We cannot risk someone recognizing us out of uniform."

She nodded, looking back at all the Balmerians following them up to the surface.

"My people will be free thanks to you and Voltron. We are in your debt." She bowed her head to him, as did the rest of her family.

"Please, there's no need for that, we want to help. That is our duty."

They straightened up, continuing their ascend to the top. The lions roared in the distance, loud blasts and metal punches echoed through the land. The castle became visible as they neared the top of the mine. Lotor was starting to feel slightly relieved. But it wouldn't last.

As soon as Shay's family finished their ascend, the dying Balmera caused the ground to shake, trapping the rest of the Balmerians in the mine shaft.

"No!" Lotor shouted.

Shay and her family stood at the edge of the mine, looking down at the rest of their people, unable to do anything to help. The situation had become more hopeless than before. Not only were the Balmerians stuck, the castle was in a dangerous spot for the robeast to attack, Voltron was getting pounded into the ground, and the rest of Lotor's team was nowhere to be seen. This was not according to plan.

Coran hopped out of the castle, running towards Lotor and the others with a panicked look of his face.

"It's on the verge of collapsing. We have to go!" He yelled.

"We can't, the Balmerians are trapped!" Lotor responded to him, facing towards him now.

One of Shay's family members looked to Coran, pain and fear set in his face.

"What can be done? Time is short!"

Without warning, the planet gave another rumble, making the panic grow. It seemed as one of the paladins spoke to Coran as he began speaking into his own communicator.

"The Balmerians are trapped. Just keep distracting the beast!"

Lotor opened to comms again, prepared to come up with a new plan, anything that could possibly win. It seemed Shiro was already coming up with his own plan of "we might have to beat the beast after all." Though that was probably not going to go well.

Shay fell to her knees beside Lotor, holding her head in her hands as she began to give up.

"We're lost! All are trapped with no chance for escape!"

"Don't give up!" Lotor said, kneeling down next to her. He had to keep everything level headed for as long as possible until something came up, and thankfully, something did.

A bright blue glow began emitting from the ground underneath the castle ship.

"The Balmera!" Shay said. "The ground beneath your mighty ship appears healed. Its essence thrives. But how?"

Everyone's gaze fell upon the ship. Shay pushed herself up off the ground, standing next to her brother to gaze as the beautiful glow of light. Lotor couldn't help but stare as well, but snapped out of it when he looked down and beneath him was a blue glow as well. 

He looked up, and the elder Balmerian was the only one who noticed the ground beneath him. She smiled to him and he quickly glanced to the others before looking back at the older woman and placing a finger to where his lips were. A plea for her to not say anything to the others. She nodded, and he smiled before hopping down into the mines behind him. 

He spoke into his helmet.

"Princess, the Balmerians are trapped in the mine, but there's a way for you to save them. You need to get to the castle and perform the ancient healing ritual!"

"I'm a little busy at the moment. I can't leave the fight!" She said, grunting a bit when an attack came her way.

Once Lotor touch the ground at the bottom of the mine, he opened the map and began sprinting to the fighter ship hanger. He would have to join the rest of his team.

"You have to, if you don't, all the Balmerians will die. Voltron will be fine."

Allura didn't even get the chance to ask how, when five Galran ships began blasting at the robeast from behind. The beast quickly turned its attention to them, firing a barrage of lasers at them, missing completely when the ships maneuvered expertly out of the way.

"My team and I will help deal with the beast, but you must save the people!" 

Allura stayed quiet for a second, before turning her lion towards the castle.

"I'm on it!" 

The rest of Voltron began fighting alongside the Galran ships. The paladins were much less graceful in their flying than Lotor's team, but as long as they evaded it was fine. It was only a few minutes later that Lotor himself joined the fight, having finally made it to the hanger. 

The beast continued shooting lasers at every pilot, keeping a focus on each on and their individual fighting styles, whether is was Pidge's complete inexperience, or Lotor's complete grace and effortlessness. It had a laser focused on each of them at all times.

"Dammit!" Lance yelled, just barely moving out of the way. "How are we suppose to defeat this thing without Allura?!"

"I don't know, but we need to save the Balmerians," Shiro grunted as his lion got slightly grazed. "I don't suppose any of you have a plan?"

The question was clearly directed at those in the Galran ships, but the only answer came from Lotor.

"I may have one, but I will be risky to pull off."

"Well, it's better than nothing."

"Okay, we need to crash one of the ships into the beast."

Hunk squealed, completely shocked at the suggestion.

"I think our plan of nothing is better than that!" He screeched.

"Will you calm down!?" Zethrid said, clearly annoyed. "We don't need you for this."

Having known each other for so long, it wasn't surprising that they all understood what Lotor's plan was. The paladins would just need to learn if they were going to work together.

"What do you mean you don't need us!? We're Voltron!" Lance yelled offended. 

"You know what to do Purple, go." Lotor said, completely ignoring the red paladin.

Without warning, Keith flew up straight into the air. The paladins had no clue what he was doing, and even less clue when his ship began to fall out of the air, with all the engines turned off. 

"What the hell is he doing!?" Lance asked. He watched as the ship began plummeting closer and closer to the planet. He never even noticed when a laser was shot directly at him, until a shrill scream from Pidge forced him to look back at the battle. The laser was about to hit his lion, and he had no idea how to maneuver out of it's way in time. Luckily, he didn't have to.

From behind him, Keith moved to stand on his right side, Cosmo on his left. Keith placed his hands over Lance's, who still had his on the controls. He forced Lance to move his hands in an unfamiliar way, performing a move he never knew he could. The red lion moved instantly, just fast enough that Keith and Lance had the perfect shot of Keith's previous ship blowing up right on top of the robeast, blinding its thousand eyes.

The rest of the Galran ships moved faster than the paladins could see, circling the beast and creating a barrage of blaster shots, all directed at it.

Team voltron finally snapped out of their instant shock and began firing as well, each aiming for the beast's eyes. All except Lance, who was busy watching the man in front of him. Keith continued piloting the red lion while Lance sat back and stared. He knew he was a hopeless romantic, and fell in love with practically everyone he came across, but he felt different towards this mysterious purple paladin, the sense of something completely out of his world.

Of course he felt the same about Allura, but he couldn't help it. Allura was a beautiful and powerful alien princess . He knew her, unlike the person in front of him. All he knew of this person was that they were holding his hand… tightly. Getting tighter.

And… saying something?

"Lance! Can you hear me!?" The purple paladin said, smacking Lance on his arm lightly. 'Shit, he didn't know how long he had been trying to talk to him'. He didn't even have time to respond when Shiro spoke.

"Good work team!"

'Good work team?' 

Lance had zero clue what he was talking about. Clearly Keith noticed since he pointed out the lion, where the robeast was powered down completely. A hard layer of Balmerian crystal covered it from head to toe. Lance blinked, completely unaware of how long their battle even took place, or how it ended with the beast losing like this.

He also happened to notice the rest of the lions and the Galran ships flying towards the castle. Keith's hands moved from his, crossing his arms over his chest as Lance took control of his lion again. They didn't speak for the entire ride.

When they finally touch the ground where the others were, Keith quickly went back to his own team, Cosmo following close behind. Lance watched him, as did the rest of Voltron, who still had several questions of the strange group. Though those questions would have to wait, as the group took one last look at Voltron, and proceeded to teleport away. 

No words, no nothing. Just a sinking feeling that the next time they would meet would be different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, I'm pretty sure this is the first time Lance has heard Keith speak. Pretty sure, I don't remember lol.


	18. In the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and his crew need to report back to Kolivan, so they take their mission from Voltron for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet yeet, I know, another update. I just wanna pump these out for a while cuz I really want to start other projects. I could just start them, but I'd rather not have several fics to update at once.

Acxa set a course of the ship to the nearest Blade base, flopping down into her seat.

Ezor rubbed her head. "Ugh, the paladins scream a lot."

Acxa and Zethrid hummed in agreement. Narti was practically asleep in her seat, unlike Keith, who was literally out cold on the floor next to a sleeping Cosmo. Lotor was the last to walk into the main room, being the last to change into his Blade uniform.

He took his seat and began to contact the base. Unlike everyone else, he looked completely unaffected by the battle, though the others knew better. He never really was good at showing how he felt, something he had learned during his childhood. 

He opened a channel to the base. 

"Hailing Blade of Marmora, the is the RRS, we will be arriving in approximately one varga. Prepare for docking."

There was a brief second of silence before a voice responded. 

"Affirmative, permission to dock confirmed."

He closed the channel, reclining back into his seat. He leaned his head into his hand, letting out a long yawn.

"Long day huh?" Acxa spoke softly, careful not to wake up Kova who had fallen asleep on her lap.

"Just imagine how it will be if we do join forces with them."

She let out a soft, pained chuckle. "They better help us end this war quickly. I really don't want to deal with this for the rest of my life."

Lotor laughed, nodding in agreement. 

They didn't speak for the rest of the ride. Instead, Acxa decided go take a nap. Lotor continued to monitor everything, switching over to the castle's surveillance system. The paladins were getting ready to leave the Balmera.

He switched through the cameras, looking at what each pilot was doing. Hunk was showing Shay the kitchen. Pidge was working in the lab. Lance was flirting with a Balmerian, typical. Coran was talking with the elder that found out he was Altean. Hopefully she didn't tell anyone. Shiro was comforting the rest of the Balmerians, most likely giving a speech about freedom. He truly was a great leader.

And then there was the princess.

She was with Shay's family, probably talking about the ritual. She looked more worn out than anybody else. Though healing an entire planet would do that to people. She truly was extraordinary, and Lotor couldn't help but be intrigued by her. He couldn't wait to officially meet her. 

"Are you watching the princess again?"

Lotor jumped at Keith's voice cutting through the silence. He didn't answer right away, letting his heartbeat calm down a bit.

"You startled me."

"That doesn't answer my question." He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the still sleeping wolf. "You're watching her, aren't you?"

The Galran prince stayed quiet, watching as the princess politely shook the hands of the Balmerians. 

"Yes, I'm watching her." 

He glanced at Keith, noting his cheeky, mischievous grin.

"You like her, don't you?"

The prince rolled his eyes. "It's not like that." He looked at the screen again, his expression turning soft. "She's Altean, and not only that, she's the daughter of the king Alfor, the creator of the lions of Voltron." He faced Keith again. "Just like how you and Acxa have the opportunity to meet more humans, I have the opportunity to meet Alteans.

"What about the colony," Keith asked, tilting his head. "You met all those Alteans when you created it."

"That is true, but I mean Alteans who actually lived on Altea. There's so much I can learn from them, especially since they're the princess and the royal advisor. It's an opportunity I never thought I could get."

"Yeah, but the princess is pretty."

Keith had the mischievous grin again. Being the professional he his, Lotor was hard to tease, so Keith was going to use the opportunity as much as possible. Though it seemed to not do much to the taller man. Lotor only laughed.

"Yes, I suppose that is part of it."

Once again silent, they watched the screen flicker before turning off, losing connection from the ship due to the great distance they were from it. A small yawn escaped from Keith's lips, feeling his eyes grow tired from the bright lights.

"You should probably continue resting," Lotor said quietly. Keith looked up at him, slightly worried.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, get some rest."

Keith still wasn't satisfied, staying sitting up. Lotor only gave him a kind smile, which always worked somehow. Keith slowly laid back down, letting sleep take over while Lotor watched over them all. Left completely in the quiet dark, with nothing to do but listen to the soft snores echoing throughout the ship.

A great distraction from the normal noise of danger and constant battles. He could get use to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It shouldn't be surprising that Lotor finds Allura pretty because DUH, who wouldn't. But I wanted his attraction to her to first stem from intrigue. Lotor wants to know more about Altea, and who better to learn from than the princess herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it. It's been something I've been meaning to write for months now. Please comment, I'd like to know your thoughts and criticism is very allowed. I'm not the greatest writer, so if theres any way you guys can help me, that would be great.


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